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FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 


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FOOTBALL 

AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

BY 
PERCY  D.  HAUGHTON 

Harvard  Coach,  1908-1916 

INTRODUCTION 
BY 

HEYWOOD  BROUN 


MARSHALL  JONES  COMPANY 
BOSTON 

1922 


H2 


COPYRIGHT* 19 2 2 'BY 
MARSHALL  JONES  COMPANY 


THE       PLIMPTON     P  R  E  8  S  •  NO  R  WO  O  D  •  MA  S  8  AC  H  U  S  ETT8 
PRINTED      IN      THE      UNITED      STATES      OF     AMERICA 


TO  THOSE  FOOTBALL  PLAYERS   WHOM  I    HAVE  HAD  THE  GREAT 

PRIVILEGE   OF  TEACHING.  AND   WHO,  IN   SPITE   OF  MENTAL 

WEARINESS  AND  PHYSICAL  STRAIN.  RESPONDED  TO  MY 

SUGGESTIONS  WITH   THEIR  ENTIRE  WILL,  THIS  BOOK 

IS  DEDICATED  IN  FRIENDSHIP  AND  APPRECIATION 


491103 


INTRODUCTION 

The  reader  who  wants  to  know  how  to  listen 
to  music  or  what  to  observe  in  a  picture  gallery 
may  readily  find  all  this  information  conveniently 
gathered  in  book  form.  Accordingly,  it  is  fitting 
that  to  thrs  informative  library  there  should  be 
added  a  book  of  football  for  the  spectator.  I 
maintain  that  football  is  an  art  as  well  as  a  sport. 
Percy  Haughton  belongs  without  doubt  among 
the  old  masters.  Of  course,  his  position  is  com- 
plicated a  little  by  the  fact  that  he  is  also  in  the 

ranks  of  the  moderns. 

Still  another  difficulty  is  raised  by  the  ques- 
tion of  just  which  branch  of  art  embraces  foot- 
ball. Mr.  Haughton  realizes  its  analogies  to 
war,  but  I  think  that  there  are  features  which 
qualify  the  game  for  a  place  in  the  field  of  liberal 
arts  as  well.  There  is  a  striking  resemblance, 
for  instance,  between  the  best  of  Harvard  foot- 
ball and  any  characteristic  story  by  O.  Henry. 
To  be  sure,  every  football  play  is  in  a  sense  a 
short  narrative.     First  come  the  signals  of  the 

[vu] 


INTRODUCTION 

quarterback.  That  is  the  preliminary  exposi- 
tion. Then  the  plat  thickens,  action  becomes 
intense  and  a  climax  is  reached  whereby  the 
mood  of  tragedy  or  comedy  is  established. 

But  the  resemblance  between  Haughton  foot- 
ball and  O.  Henry  is  more  special  than  this. 
Deception  is  an  important  factor  in  the  tech- 
nique of  both  the  coach  and  the  writer.  Often 
there  is  a  well  developed  feint  to  fool  the  reader 
or  the  opposing  line  as  the  case  may  -be.  Every- 
body thinks  he  knows  how  it  is  coming  out  when 
suddenly  we  have  the  surprising  flash  of  the 
trick  finish.  "By  Jove,"  says  the  reader,  laying 
down  the  book,  "I  never  thought  of  that."  And 
the  Yale  defensive  back,  picking  himself  up, 
says  much  the  same  thing  though  perhaps  some- 
what differently  expressed.  Like  O.  Henry, 
Haughton  seems  to  have  specialized  in  happy 
endings. 

Again,  it  must  not  be  overlooked  that  Har- 
vard football  since  the  days  of  Haughton  has 
dramatic  values  as  well  as  fictional  ones.  Many 
of  the  delayed  pass  plays  demand  a  histrionic 
ability  upon  the  part  of  the  participants  which 
would  tax  the  best  leading  men  of  the  American 
stage.    We  were  always  moved  to  particular  ad- 

[viii] 


INTRODUCTION 

miration  by  the  perfonnance  of  the  man  who 
didn't  have  the  ball.  Here  skilful  impersona- 
tion was  frequently  animated  by  the  proper  note 
of  passion  as  well.  Indeed,  we  are  informed 
that  at  times  the  perfection  of  technique  in  a 
given  play,  as  well  as  the  underlying  feeling,  has 
moved  the  entire  Yale  team  to  tears  if  not  ap- 
plause. 

The  need  of  a  book  upon  football  for  the 
spectator  rests  not  only  upon  the  many  phases  of 
the  game  unknown  to  the  general  public.  It  is 
even  more  important  to  clear  away  a  little  of  the 
mass  of  spurious  information  which  has  gathered 
around  the  game.  As  a  newspaper  writer  I 
realize  that  I  have  done  my  share  toward  the 
creation  of  misapprehension.  The  possibility  of 
error  in  any  sort  of  long  range  reporting  is  pro- 
digious and  twenty-two  active  young  men  upon 
a  gridiron  have  a  habit  of  wriggling  around  in 
such  a  way  that  it  is  hard  to  keep  accurate  track 
of  them.  At  this  moment  I  fancy  I  hear  an  ag- 
gressive voice  demanding,  "Why  doesn't  Har- 
vard number  her  players?"  It  is  easy  for  me  to 
answer  that.  I  don't  know  why.  And  yet  it 
seems  to  me  only  fair  to  add  that  numbers  do  not 
help  nearly  as  much  as  they  are  supposed  to.    A 

[ix] 


INTRODUCTION 

vigorous  young  man  can  carry  a  large  29  upon 
his  back  and  remain  almost  anonymous  as  far  as 
the  purposes  of  the  press  stand  go.  On  muddy 
days  it  is  a  little  easier  if  they  don't  wear  num- 
bers. Dirt  often  distorts  the  digits  and  gives 
the  spectators  impressions  of  knowledge  much 
more  false  than  if  he  had  merely  guessed. 

But  after  all  it  is  not  entirely  the  inexact  re- 
porting of  detail  which  makes  newspaper  foot- 
ball so  different  from  the  game  which  is  actually 
played  upon  the  field.  It  is  almost  inevitable 
that  the  emphasis  should  often  fall  into  the  wrong 
places.  The  sporting  writer  hardly  need  apolo- 
gize for  this.  It  is  not  his  fault  that  the  general 
public  is  romantic  and  demands  its  heroes.  The 
tradition  which  gave  the  whole  credit  of  victory 
to  the  king  or  emperor,  or  at  any  rate  some 
plumed  knight,  has  descended  into  our  own  day 
and  now  works  to  the  advantage  of  the  backfield 
men.  If  every  opposing  tackier  should  sud- 
denly be  struck  dead  by  lightning  the  newspaper 
story  would  still  speak  of  the  brilliant  run  of  the 
half-back  who  walked  down  the  field  stepping 
over  the  prostrate  foe  until  he  had  crossed  the 
goal  line. 

In  general,  scant  attention  is  paid  to  those 

[X] 


INTRODUCTION 

preliminary  plans  and  deeds  which  are  largely 
responsible  for  the  long  run.  All  of  us  watch 
the  man  with  the  ball.  Accordingly  football 
has  come  to  be  thought  of  in  terms  of  individuals. 
The  artisans  engaged  in  a  manoeuvre  are  for- 
gotten because  of  the  glory  of  the  hero  who  ac- 
tually completes  a  scoring  play.  All  this  is 
good  fun.  It  is  easier  to  talk  of  football  in  these 
terms.  The  only  trouble  lies  in  the  fact  that  it 
isn't  true.  This  objection  has  been  enough  to 
diminish  the  prestige  of  the  romantic  school  in 
most  of  the  other  arts.  It  is  about  time  for  the 
realists  to  have  their  say  in  football  as  well. 
Percy  Haughton  seems  to  me  to  be  eminently 
fitted  for  this  task.  His  imagination  has  done 
much  to  animate  football  and  make  it  colorful, 
but  he  remains  intensely  practical.  Possibly,  it 
may  be  felt  that  enthusiasm  about  Haughton 
must  be  discounted  if  it  comes  from  anybody 
even  remotely  connected  with  Harvard.  In  re- 
ply to  that  I  can  only  say — ask  Yale. 

Heywood  Broun 


[xi] 


CONTENTS 

OHAPTEB  PAGS 

Introduction  by  heywood  broun     .      .      .     vii 

Author's  Preface xix 

I.     How  TO  Watch  and  Understand  Football      1 

II.     The     Fifty- Year     Battle     Between     the 

Offense  and  Defense 60 

III.  Pre-season  Preparation 88 

IV.  The  Campaign 100 

V.     Medical  Aspect  of  the  Game   .      .      .      .118 

VI.       The   iNTlfLLIGENCE   DEPARTMENT    .        .        .         .135 

VII.  The  Attack 145 

VIII.  The  Defense 165 

IX.  A  Game  in  Detail 178 

X.  The  Wherefore  of  Football       ....  197 


[xiii] 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATE 

I.     PERCY  D.   HAUGHTON    .      .    Frontispiece 

TAOING  PACK 

II.     A  PLUNGE  PLAY.     Harvard  vs.  Centre 

1920 4 

III.  (a)  A  SLANT  OUTSIDE  OF  TACKLE. 

Yale  vs.  Harvard  1921 5 

(b)  A  SWEEP  FROM  OPEN  FORMA- 
TION.    Harvard  vs.  Centre  1920   .      .        5 

IV.  A  RUSH  WHICH  FAILED.     Princeton 

vs.   Harvard   1920 12 

V.     A     SUCCESSFUL     SWEEP.     Yale     vs. 

Harvard   1921        .......      13 

VI.     A  PUNT.     Yale  vs.  Harvard  1920    .      .      16 

VII.     (a)  A    FORWARD    PASS.     Centre    vs. 

Harvard    1920 17 

(b)  A    FORWARD    PASS.     Centre    vs. 
Harvard    1920 17 

VIII.     AN  UNUSUALLY  SUCCESSFUL  FOR- 
WARD PASS.     Harvard  vs.  Princeton     32 

IX.     (a)  A  CRISS-CROSS  RUN.     Centre  vs. 

Harvard    1920 33 

(b)  A  CRISS-CROSS  RUN.     Centre  vs. 
Harvard    1920 33 

X.     AS  SEEN  FROM  THE  SIDE  LINES. 

Yale  vs.  Harvard  1921 36 

XI.     (a)  A  DROP  KICK,  A  SUCCESS.    Yale 

vs.   Harvard    1921 37 

(b)  A  DROP  KICK,  A  FAILURE.    Har- 
vard vs.  Penn  State  1921       ....      37 

[XV] 


PLATE 

XII. 


XIII. 

XIV. 
XV. 

XVI. 
XVII. 


XVIII. 


XIX. 


XX. 


XXI. 


XXII. 


[xvi] 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

l-AOIKO  PAQB 

(a)  A  SHORT  LATERAL  FORWARD 
PASS.      INCEPTION.     Harvard     vs. 

Centre  44? 

PASS.    COMPLETION.     Harvard   vs. 

(b)  A  SHORT  LATERAL  FORWARD 
Centre  44 

THE  BOOMERANG.    Princeton  vs.  Har- 
vard 1921 45 

THE  PURSUIT.    Harvard  vs.  Yale  1921     48 

A  DEFENSIVE  TRIUMPH.     Centre  vs. 
Harvard    1921 49 

AN     OFFENSIVE     VICTORY.     Centre 
vs.   Harvard   1921 64 

(a)  A  FINE   PIECE   OF  INTERFER- 
ENCE.    Centre  vs.   Harvard  1920        .      65 

(b)  A  FINE   PIECE   OF   INTERFER- 
ENCE.    Centre  vs.  Harvard  1920        .      65 

(a)  CLEVER  DEFENSIVE  METHODS. 
Centre   vs.    Harvard    1920    ....      68 

(b)  CLEVER  DEFENSIVE  METHODS. 
Centre   vs.    Harvard    1920    ....      68 

PRESSING    THE    KICKER.     Yale   vs. 
Harvard   1913 69 

AN  OPENING  IN  THE   LINE.     Har- 
vard vs.  Princeton  1921 76 

(a)  A   FINGERNAIL   TACKLE.     Yale 

vs.  Harvard  1921 77 

(b)  A   FINGERNAIL    TACKLE.     Yale 

vs.  Harvard  1921 77 

(a)  THE    ELUSIVE  PIGSKIN.     Har- 
vard vs.   Yale   1921 80 

(b)  THE    ELUSIVE  PIGSKIN.     Har- 
vard vs.   Yale   1921 80 

(c)  THE    ELUSIVE  PIGSKIN.     Har- 
vard vs.   Yale   1921 80 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATS  FACING  PAGB 

XXIII.  WHERE  IS  THE  BALL?     Harvard  vs. 

Penn  State  1921 81 

XXIV.  TOO   MUCH   DEFENSE.     Harvard  vs. 

Yale   1921 96 

XXV.     A    POWERFUL    RUSH.     Harvard    vs. 

Yale    1921 97 

XXVI.     PASSIVE  INTERFERENCE.     Harvard 

vs.  Centre   1920 112 

XXVII,     A  DECOY.     Centre  vs.   Harvard   1920    .    113 

XXVIII.     A    TOUCHDOWN.     Harvard    vs.     Yale 

1921         128 

XXIX.     HELD    FOR    DOWNS.     Yale    vs.    Har- 
vard 1919  129 

XXX.     BODILY   CONTACT.     Centre  vs.   Har- 
vard 1920 136 


DIAGRAMS 
I.     OFFENSE  FORMATION— Close 
II.     OFFENSE   FORMATION— Open 

III.  OFFENSE  FORMATION— Loose 

IV.  OFFENSE  FORMATION— Wide 


PAGK 
46 

48 
50 
52 


[xvii] 


PREFACE 

WHEN  properly  understood.  Football 
is  both  mentally  and  physically  such 
a  glorious  sport  that  it  seems  a  pity 
that  so  many  who  witness  it  should  not  be  con- 
versant with  its  salient  points. 

The  word  mentally  properly  precedes  physi- 
cally because  the  game  has  today  reached  such 
an  advanced  stage  of  development  that  unless 
certain  well-estabUshed  tactical  principles  are 
closely  followed  mere  brawn  is  at  a  discount. 
Not  that  the  game  doesn't  demand  rugged  phy- 
sique and  great  endurance,  but  given  two  teams 
of  nearly  equal  weight  and  strength,  mental 
finesse  will  usually  be  the  winning  factor. 

It  is  extremely  difficult  to  watch  and  under- 
stand football  intelligently.  It  is  a  good  deal 
like  watching  a  four-ring  circus.  Accordingly, 
the  author  has  made  no  attempt  to  describe  the 
game  in  all  its  details,  but  has  chosen  to  em- 
phasize certain  "headliners"  on  which  the  spec- 
tator's attention  may  be  most  properly  riveted. 
For  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  game,  it  is 

[xix] 


PREFACE 

necessary  to  master  not  only  the  cardinal  prin- 
ciples, but  also  a  great  mass  of  minute  detail. 
The  average  spectator  for  whom  this  book  is 
written  is  not  interested  to  that  extent. 

Ple'nty  of  books  have  already  been  written  on 
the  so-called  fundamentals  and  the  technique  of 
individual  play.  Rather  than  duplicate  these, 
the  author  has  effaced  the  individual  player  save 
in  so  far  as  his  performance  correlates  with  that 
of  his  fellow  players,  and  has  dwelt  in  the  main 
upon  team  evolutions  and  certain  other  aspects 
which  pertain  to  the  government  of  the  game. 

It  is  his  dearest  hope  that  by  the  sacrifice  of 
many  important  details  he  has  produced  a  clear 
description  of  the  subject  in  its  broadest  scope, 
and  that  this  book  may  add  materially  to  the  en- 
joyment of  the  many  thousands  of  spectators 
whx)  witness  the  game  of  American  Football. 

Percy  D.  Haughton 


[XX] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 


FOOTBALL 

and  How  to  Watch  It 


HOW  TO  WATCH  AND  UNDERSTAND 
FOOTBALL 

ARE  YOU  READY,  HARVARD?" 
"Are  you  ready,  Yale?"     The  referee 
blows  his  whistle. 

It  is  a  supreme  moment.  The  pent-up  feel- 
ings of  the  past  year  are  suddenly  released  and 
one  is  brought  face  to  face  with  the  realization 
that  within  the  coming  two  hours  the  pendulum 
of  the  Fates  will  swing  either  to  victory  or  de- 
feat. 

Oh,  the  glory  of  victory!  The  heroes  it  pro- 
duces, the  congratulations  it  calls  forth!  The 
supreme  happiness  and  intense  satisfaction  en- 
tailed more  than  repay  all  the  preparation  and 
the  strain  of  a  season's  work;  and  besides,  the 
world  loves  a  winner. 

[1] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

In  utter  contrast,  consider  the  sting  of  defeat. 
We  have  all  seen  the  crestfallen  players  limping 
dejectedly  from  the  field,  but  the  real,  dull  pain 
of  defeat  comes  after  the  physical  weariness  has 
worn  off,  when  the  mind  persists  in  reverting  to 
that  everlasting  "if."  "If,"  soliloquizes  the 
Coach,  "I  had  not  been  swayed  by  others  but  had 
only  planned  my  defense  according  to  my  own 
judgment,  that  winning  play  of  our  opponents 
would  never  have  been  successful." 

"If,"  moans  each  of  the  players,  "I  had  only 
done  so  and  so,  they  would  never  have  licked  us." 

So  the  wound  is  constantly  kept  open  and  be- 
fore a  healthy  cure  can  be  effected  there  follows 
a  distinct  tendency  toward  misunderstanding, 
lack  of  confidence,  and  sometimes  actual  dissen- 
sion in  the  camp  of  the  vanquished.  It  is  a 
wretched  situation. 

If  it  is  one  of  the  big  final  games  of  the  sea- 
son to  which  we  are  going,  I  trust  we  have  al- 
lowed plenty  of  time  on  account  of  the  conges- 
tion of  traffic — the  neck  of  the  bottle — which  al- 
ways occurs  at  the  approach  to  the  field,  and 
have  arrived  at  least  twenty  minutes  ahead  of  the 
scheduled  time  of  the  game. 

Now  this  is  an  extremely  difficult  feat  to  ac- 

[2] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND   FOOTBALL 

complish,  as  our  gracious  hostess  insists  on  de- 
laying luncheon  until  her  entire  party  has  ar- 
rived, and  our  convivial  host  will  not  be  dis- 
suaded from  "showing  us  a  little  attention." 
Other  little  five-minute  delays  keep  cropping  up 
and  before  we  realize  it,  we  are  caught  in  the 
maelstrom  of  the  crowd  and,  after  a  thorough 
bumping  about  among  people  who  all  seem  to 
be  unusually  large  and  good-naturedly  rough, 
we  arrive  too  late  for  the  opening  play  of  the 
game. 

Let  us  assume,  however,  that  we  have  ar- 
rived in  good  season.  The  choicest  seats  are 
naturally  considered  to  be  at  midfield,  although 
if  one  has  drawn  a  goal-line  seat  great  consola- 
tion is  often  derived  from  the  fact  that  the  most 
vital  play  of  the  game  happens  right  "under  one's 
nose." 

Few  people  realize  what  a  tremendous  coigpe 
of  vantage  is  gained  by  viewing  the  game  from 
a  height  sufficient  to  obtain  an  aero-view,  so  that 
one  player's  body  does  not  hide  another's.  The 
players  are  thus  diagrammed,  as  it  were,  and  seen 
from  a  position  far  enough  removed  to  include 
in  the  field  of  vision  all  the  members  of  both 
teams  when  lined  up  in  scrimmage  formation, 

[3] 


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Plate  III.  (a)  A  SLANT  OUTSIDE  OF  TACKLE 

TWO  interferers  have  put  the  left  defensive  end  (1)  com- 
pletely out  of  commission.  He  mai/  be  seen  on  the 
ground  at  the  left  of  the  picture.  Two  more  interferers 
are  protecting  the  runner  from  the  left  tackle  (2)  who 
is  recovering  from  contact  with  the  line. 

As  the  runner  is  swerving  outward  these  interferers  will 
probably  go  against  the  defense  halfbacks  and  the  player 
on  the  extreme  right  will  also  be  menaced  by  the  lineman 
who  is  approaching  Kim. 

Two  of  the  defense  may  be  seen  following  in  the  wake  of 
the  runner.  Neither  will  catch  him  but  their  position 
emphasizes  that  offensive  speed  is  of  vital  importance. 

The  offense  here  have  acquired  tremendous  superiority  over 
the  defense. 

Yale  vs.  Harvard  1921. 

(b)  A  SWEEP  FROM  OPEN  FORMATION 

THE  results  are  very  similar  to  those  shown  in  the  upper 
picture.  Here  again  the  offense  have  shut  off  the  de- 
fensive right  end  (1),  have  boxed  the  left  tackle  (2)  leav- 
ing three  interferers  free  ahead  of  the  runner.  Notice 
the  splendid  piece  of  interference  against  player  (S). 

The  runner  is  carrying  the  ball  in  his  hands.  He  has  evi- 
dently **faked"  a  forward  pass,  which  accounts  for  the 
hesitating  positions  of  the  second  and  third  line  of  de- 
fense. They  have  been  forced  to  guard  their  respective 
zones  until  they  could  diagnose  the  nature  of  the  play. 
They  will  now  have  a  difficult  task  to  stop  the  runner  who 
is  so  thoroughly  screened  by  interferers. 

TMs  play  gained  fifteen  yards,  the  runner  being  forced  out 
of  bounds  on  the  farther  side  of  the  field. 
Harvard  vs.  Centre  College  1920. 

[5] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

except  those  players  of  the  defense  who  are 
stationed  thirty  or  forty  yards  back  of  the  scrim- 
mage line.  But  one  should  understand  that,  at 
this  distance,  the  speed  of  the  players  is  not  so 
apparent,  and  one  does  not  see  individual  facial 
expressions  nor  hear  the  impact  of  contending 
players  as  plainly  as  from  the  sideline  seats. 
Nevertheless,  for  a  comprehensive  view  and  un- 
derstanding of  the  game  as  a  whole,  I  strongly 
recommend  the  elevated  location. 

When  once  in  your  seat  note  the  position  of 
the  score  board  so  that  when  the  game  begins 
you  can  readily  ascertain  what  down  it  is  and 
how  much  distance  must  be  gained;  then,  when 
the  teams  come  on  the  field  for  preliminary  prac- 
tice, pick  out  the  noted  players  by  comparing 
the  numbers  they  wear  with  your  program. 
Watch  the  style  and  performance  of  the  various 
punters  and,  when  the  elevens  line  up  for  sig- 
nal practice  note  the  offensive  arrangement  of  the 
two  elevens. 

While  the  teams  are  warming  up,  it  is  inter- 
esting to  consider  that  those  players  out  there,  al- 
though they  look  like  gladiators  in  their  football 
togs,  are  mere  boys  from  eighteen  to  twenty-two 
years  old.     They  have  been  through  weeks  of 

[6] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND   FOOTBALL 

steady  practice  under  the  direction  of  expert 
coaches,  sometimes  hard  taskmasters,  gruelling 
drills  in  fair  and  foul  weather,  and  long  scrim- 
mages which  have  tested  the  temper  and  calibre 
of  each  man.  They  have  kept  strict  training. 
They  have  been  told  what  to  eat  and  what  not  to 
eat,  smoking  has  been  forbidden  and  regular 
hours  insisted  upon.  In  short,  they  are  in  as 
perfect  physical  and  mental  condition  as  careful 
supervision  arfd  common  sense  can  insure. 

The  mental  attitude  is  of  extreme  importance. 
Many  hours  have  been  spent  by  the  coaches  on 
the  psychology  of  the  game  and  in  getting  the 
boys  into  the  frame  of  mind  that  knows  no  fear, 
in  instilling  the  spirit  of  fight,  clean,  manly  fight, 
without  which  no  big  game  is  ever  won,  and  in 
giving  them  confidence  in  their  own  ability,  yet 
stopping  short  of  the  point  of  overconfidence,  al- 
ways a  very  difficult  thing  to  do. 

It  also  should  be  remembered  that  those  boys 
know  something  more  than  how  to  kick  a  ball 
and  run  with  it.  They  have  been  chosen  for  their 
brains  as  well  as  for  their  brawn.  It  is  obvious 
that  they  know  their  own  plays  and  can  execute 
them  like  clockwork;  but  it  is  not  always  appre- 
ciated that  for  many  weeks  before  the  big  game, 

[7] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

those  men,  besides  perfecting  their  own  play, 
have  to  learn  and  absorb  the  style  of  play  of 
their  opponents.  That  knowledge,  of  course,  is 
brought  to  the  coaching  staff  by  those  who  have 
seen  the  opponents  in  action,  and  it  is  imparted 
to  the  players  by  means  of  blackboard  talks  with 
elaborate  diagrams,  and,  frequently,  in  the 
larger  colleges,  for  a  week  or  two  before  the  big 
games,  the  second  team  is  schoole;.d  in  the  style 
of  play  to  be  used  by  the  opponents  and  is  sent 
against  the  varsity  in  practice  games  every  after- 
noon. 

When  the  brief  preliminary  practice  is  fin- 
ished both  teams  usually  withdraw  from  the  field 
until  within  a  few  minutes  of  the  scheduled  time 
of  play,  while  the  cheering  sections  have  their 
turn,  followed  by  a*  general  settling  down  in  an- 
ticipation of  the  game.  Look  about  you  in  this 
interim.  Behold  the  serried  tiers  of  humanity, 
every  seat  occupied  by  an  intensely  partisan  spec- 
tator. Observe  the  color  effect  of  flags,  ladies' 
hats  and  the  flowers  worn  by  both  men  and 
women  slightly  dimmed  by  a  film  of  smoke  from 
thousands  of  cigars  and  cigarettes.  It  is  a  most 
impressive  spectacle. 

As  the  time  aproaches  "zero"  hour,  there  are  a 

[8] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND   FOOTBALL 

few  minutes  of  awesome  hush  which  spreads  rap- 
idly over  the  amphitheatre  and  one  can  feel  one's 
nerves  beginning  to  tingle  in  anticipation  of  the 
appearance  of  the  teams.  Of  a  sudden  there  is 
a  slight  stir  about  the  portal  where  the  players 
are  to  make  their  entry.  Those  nearby  crane 
forward.  The  police  push  aside  the  crowd  and, 
like  lions  loosed,  one  team — forty  strong — bounds 
into  the  arena.  On  the  instant  pandemonium 
breaks  loose.  In  the  midst  of  and  above  the  tu- 
mult an  organized  cheer — the  best  of  the  whole 
afternoon,  one  that  rakes  the  spine  and  vibrates 
in  every  nerve-center — is  given  for  the  heroes. 

Few  spectators  realize  what  a  tremendous  in- 
spiration this  is  to  the  players.  Many  people 
think  that  cheers  are  only  stage-play.  They  are 
not;  in  fact,  well-conducted  cheers  at  the  proper 
time  are  indispensable  to  the  morale  of  the 
players. 

A  moment  after  the  entrance  of  the  first  team 
a  like  scene  is  enacted  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
field,  and  after  the  respective  captains  have 
shaken  hands  in  midfield  and  the  referee  tossed  a 
coin  for  choice  of  goal,  the  two  teams  rush  onto 
the  field  and  take  position  for  the  opening  play. 

Before  the  game  actually  begins,  however,  it 

[9] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

may  be  helpful  to  describe  briefly  some  of  the 
principles  upon  which  football  is  based  and  some 
of  the  fine  points — sometimes  termed  "inside 
stuff" — not  readily  understood  by  the  average 
spectator.  Note  that  I  say  "average"  and  the 
term  is  used  advisedly,  for  it  includes  men  who 
have  not  made  a  study  of  the  game  and  an  ever- 
increasing  number  of  women  who  witness  foot- 
ball contests  in  blissful  ignorance  not  only  of  the 
higher  technique,  but  even  of  the  simplest  rudi- 
ments. To  them  I  trust  these  points  will  not 
only  be  enlightening  but  will  add  zest  to  their  in- 
terest. I  should  mention  that  this  section  contains 
only  a  brief  description.  The  full  subject  with 
reference  to  its  history  and  present  status,  the  of- 
fense and  defense,  and  the  mental,  moral,  phys- 
ical and  medical  aspects  of  the  sport,  will  be  dis- 
cussed later. 

I  warn  you  that  parts  of  this  chapter  may  ap- 
pear to  be  frightfully  serious  and  complex,  but 
we  are  dealing  with  a  game  properly  described 
by  these  adjectives  and  if  you  really  want  to  en- 
joy the  game  you  had  best  make  up  your  mind 
that  certain  principles  must  be  clearly  understood 
and  a  great  many  A  B  C's  digested  before  you 
really  "know  what  the  game  is  all  about"  and 

[10] 


HOW  TO   UNDERSTAND   FOOTBALL 

before  you  can  recognize  good  play  from  bad. 

So  let  us  start  our  lesson  with  the  following 
explanation.  The  team  in  possession  of  the  ball 
is  termed  the  "Offense"  and  the  side  not  in  pos- 
session of  it  the  "Defense."  These  expressions 
will  be  used  throughout  to  designate  the  team 
referred  to. 

The  tactics  employed  by  the  offense  to  advance 
the  ball  are  known  as  the  attack,  which  is  made 
by  means  of  (1)  Rushing,  (2)  Forward  Passing, 
(3)  Kicking  and  (4)  by  Deception,  or  by  a  com- 
bination of  any  two  of  the  above.  These  salient 
arms  of  attack  are  subdivided  as  follows: 

1.  The  Rush,  into: 

a.  Plunges,  which  comprise  all  plays  of  a 
straight-ahead  nature,  the  great  majority  of 
which  are  directed  at  or  between  the  two  guards 
on  the  defense  and  usually  executed  by  the  heav- 
iest player  in  the  offensive  backfield.  Plays  of 
this  class  should  gain  a  short  distance  consist- 
ently. 

b.  Slants,  those  plays  which  are  directed  on 
either  side  of  the  defensive  tackles,  the  majority 
of  which  should  gain  a  greater  distance,  but  not 
so  consistently  as  plunges.  Small  losses  occur  at 
times. 

[11] 


o 

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§.^§  I- 

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St,  ?^  S  a 

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«^  ?^  «*. 


^    <^    '^     S 


Od 
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^§-5 


[12] 


Qo      I      Co 


5i4 


g   5s- 
^   «^  Ss"  cti   ^ 

fi    c^    ct>   ^^ 
O 


P    Co 


P 
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I— ( 

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53    «    ^    ■  - 


[18] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

c.  Sweeps,  which  are,  as  the  word  indicates, 
plays  directed  at  the  flanks  of  the  defense  wherein 
the  fastest  back  is  used  to  carry  the  ball.  Some- 
times called  "long  gainers" — lacking  in  the 
consistency  of  slants  and  subject  to  greater 
losses. 

d.  Reverse  plays,  which  comprise  all  plays 
which  change  their  direction  and  are  of  a  decep- 
tive character,  to  which  may  be  added  trick  plays 
that  have  for  their  chief  value  the  element  of  sur- 
prise. Wholly  lacking  in  consistency,  they  are 
eminently  successful  in  a  small  percentage  of  the 
number  of  times  tried. 

2.  The  Forward  Pass,  which  may  be  grouped 
into: 

a.  Short,  swift  tosses  to  a  point  about  on  the 
extended  scrimmage  lines. 

h.  Throws  directed  into  spaces  or  zones  be- 
tween the  wing  halfbacks  on  the  defense. 

c.  Long  heaves  directed  away  from  such  de- 
fensive players  as  are  stationed  say  twenty-five 
to  thirty  yards  back  of  the  scrimmage  line. 

Forward  Passes  are  all  dangerous  as  they  are 
susceptible  to  interception  by  the  defense.  They 
are,  however,  an  invaluable  weapon  of  attack  not 
only  as  a  means  of  gaining  distance,  but  also  as 

[14] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND  FOOTBALL 

a  constant  threat,  thus  weakening  the  defense 
against  rushes  and  kicks. 

3.  The  Kick,  divided  into: 

a.  The  Punt,  which  is  usually  executed  at  a 
point  from  eight  to  ten  yards  back  of  the  scrim- 
mage line.  It  is  invariably  employed  in  lieu  of 
the  surrender  of  the  ball  on  downs.  It  should 
average  say  thirty-five  yards  net  gain. 

&.  The  Drop  and  Placement  Kicks,  made  from 
a  similiar  position  and  for  the  purpose  of  scoring 
a  field  goal.  The  placement  kick  is  also  used 
after  a  fair  catch  for  try  at  field  goal.  At  the 
start  of  the  game,  the  second  half,  and  after  every 
score  it  must  be  used  as  a  means  of  putting  the 
ball  into  play,  but  no  goal  can  be  scored  from  it. 

A  team  is  well  equipped  if  it  has  in  its  reper- 
toire about  twenty-five  plays,  apportioned  as 
follows : 

16  Rushes,  consisting  of  10  plunges,  slants  and 
sweeps,  3  reverse  plays,  and  3  tricks, 

7  Forward  Passes. 

2  Kicks. 
Some  teams  have  as  many  as  forty  plays,  but  far 
better  is  it  to  have  a  few  plays  well  learned,  for 
it  is  the  execution  rather  than  the  nature  of  the 
play  which  makes  it  successful. 

[15] 


0) 


1 


^L  m  A 


Plate  VII.  (a)  A  FORWARD  PASS 

THE  player  (1)  at  extreme  left  of  the  upper 
picture  has  made  pretense  of  kicking  thus 
drawing  several  defense  linemen  towards  him. 
He  has  succeeded  further  in  ''freezing"  the 
defense  back  field,  i,  e,,  causing  them  to  remain 
stationary  until  the  nature  of  the  play  has  been 
divulged. 

Meanwhile,  an  offensive  player  (2),  who  is  elig- 
ible to  receive  the  pass,  may  be  seen  sneaking 
towards  the  opposite  sideline. 

The  defense  backfield  (3)  have  just  recognized 
this  fact  and  are  on  their  way  to  recover  their 
momentary  disadvantage. 

The  ball  is  already  in  flight  and  it  would  appear 
that,  provided  the  pass  were  accurate,  a  long 
gain  would  result. 

THE  lower  picture  shows  the  same  play  from  a 
different  angle  at  the  moment  when  the  re- 
ceiver (2)  caught  the  ball. 

The  time  consumed  while  the  ball  was  in  flight 
gave  the  defending  halfback  (3)  opportunity 
to  make  up  for  his  shortcomings  of  a  few 
seconds  earlier.  Thus  he  was  able,  although 
menaced  by  an  interferer,  to  tackle  the  re- 
cipient of  the  pass  for  a  gain  of  only  five  yards. 
Had  he  sensed  the  nature  of  the  play  earlier, 
he  might  have  intercepted  the  pass. 

Forward  parses  of  this  species  are  for  this 
reason  hazardous  because  when  they  are  inter- 
cepted there  are  no  players  of  the  side  which 
put  the  ball  in  play  in  position  to  prevent  a 
long  run  against  them. 

Centre  College  vs.  Harvard  1920. 

[17] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

In  order  that  the  above  plays  be  utilized  to 
their  utmost  effectiveness,  it  is  usual  that  the  of- 
fense employ  three  to  four  different  formations 
as  follows: 

1.  Close  formation,  from  which  a  strong  run- 
ning attack  by  rushing  is  to  be  expected,  but 
from  which  forward  passing  may  develop  (Dia- 
gram 1,  p.  52). 

2.  Open,  or  kick  formation,  which  has  wider 
cope  in  rushing,  notably  sweeps,  but  which  main- 
tains inherent  strength  both  in  plunges  and  slants 
as  well  as  forward  passing  (Diagram  2). 

3.  Loose  formation,  wherein  one  or  more  of 
the  backfields  are  placed  where  they  can  be  of  bet- 
ter service  as  interferers  on  slant  plays  and  also 
to  better  advantage  for  receiving  forward  passes 
(Diagrams). 

4.  Wide  formation,  used  by  certain  teams  to 
throw  defense  into  confusion,  thus  obtaining  an 
opening  for  either  a  forward  pass  or  a  rush  (Dia- 
gram 4). 

We  have  now  reached  a  point  where  it  is  nec- 
essary to  consider  some  of  the  rules  which  govern 
the  game.  I  regret  this  for  it  is  dry  stuff  (so  is 
law  or  the  rules  of  any  game)  but  I'll  omit  much 
and  skip  through  the  rest  as  briefly  as  possible. 

[18] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND  FOOTBALL 

Be  it  understood  then  that  in  the  use  of  their  weap- 
ons of  attack,  the  offense  are  confined  by  many 
rules  in  the  deployment  of  their  players,  the  chief 
of  which  are  that  when  the  ball  is  put  in  play: 

a.  At  least  seven  men  must  be  on  the  line  of 
scrimmage. 

b.  Only  one  player  may  be  in  motion  and  that 
one  under  certain  restrictions. 

c.  If  a  forward  pass  is  tried,  only  the  players 
on  the  ends  of  the  scrimmage  line,  and  such  other 
players  as  are  at  least  one  yard  or  more  behind 
the  line  of  scrimmage  when  the  ball  is  snapped, 
are  eligible  to  receive  such  pass,  and  further: 

d.  The  pass  must  be  delivered  from  a  distance 
of  at  least  five  yards  behind  said  scrimmage  line. 

In  the  conduct  of  their  players  the  offense 
are  also  hampered  by  rules  which  state  that : 

a.  When  contact  with  opponents  takes  place, 
i.  e.,  blocking  and  interfering,  they  shall  not  use 
their  hands  nor  arms  except  as  part  of  their 
bodies.  This  rule,  however,  does  not  include  the 
player  carrying  the  ball,  usually  termed  the  run- 
ner. An  infraction  of  this  rule  constitutes  hold- 
ing. 

b,  "Thou  shalt  not  clip,  trip,  nor  crawl,"  to 
say  nothing  of  minor  rules  whose  infraction 

[19] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

brings  penalties  involving  the  loss  of  distance 
ranging  from  five  yards  to  fifteen  yards. 

c.  "Thou  shalt  not  fumble,"  roars  the  Coach. 

These  manifold  and  severe  penalties  incurring 
loss  of  distance,  and  fumbles  causing  loss  of  the 
ball,  to  say  nothing  of  intercepted  forward  pas- 
ses, create  a  "bugbear"  for  the  offense.  In  fact 
it  is  so  difficult  for  eleven  men  on  the  offense  to 
conduct  themselves  within  the  many  rules  which 
confine  them,  with  the  possible  loss  of  ball  through 
fumbles  and  intercepted  forward  passes  plus  the 
stubbornness  of  the  defense,  that  it  is  improbable 
that  one  team  can  gain  in  a  series  of  plays  more 
than  thirty-five  to  forty  yards.  This  fact  must 
be  seriously  considered  among  the  general  prin- 
ciples of  offense  as  applied  to  the  theory  of  the  at- 
tack. 

In  striking  contrast  to  the  confinement  of  the 
offense  is  the  freedom  of  the  defense,  which  may 
take  position  in  any  form  desired,  nor  are  they 
restricted  in  the  use  of  their  hands,  except  of 
the  closed  fist,  in  their  endeavor  to  avoid  their  op- 
ponents, provided  they  make  actual  attempt  to 
reach  the  player  who  is  carrying  the  ball. 

To  be  sure,  the  defense  as  well  as  the  offense 
are  subject  to  penalty  for  being  offside,  for  un- 

[20] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND  FOOTBALL 

necessary  roughness,  and  for  hindering  the  op- 
ponents from  catching  a  forward  pass,  unless  in 
so  doing  they  are  making  an  actual  attempt  to 
catch  the  ball  themselves;  but  aside  from  these 
minor  restrictions  they  are  practically  immune 
from  penalties. 

However,  just  as  there  are  offensive  strategic 
principles,  so  the  defense  are  governed  by  certain 
tactical  axioms  which  must  be  added  to  the  fac- 
tors which  cause  victory  or  defeat  (see  Dia- 
grams) . 

It  is  quite  impossible  in  this  chapter  to  give  a 
full  description  of  offensive  strategy,  nor  are 
there  at  all  times  set  rules  which  govern  the 
quarterback's  decision,  but  it  is  well  to  point  out 
a  few  of  the  salient  principles  on  which  the  theory 
of  attack  is  based.  Although  at  times  the  reas- 
oning is  somewhat  close,  yet  it  is  essential  that 
the  spectator  obtain  a  brief  outline  of  the  subject, 
as  without  it  the  whys  and  wherefores  of  the  va- 
rious offensive  manoeuvres  are  meaningless. 

Let  us,  then,  begin  with  the  statement  that  un- 
less the  offense  advance  with  the  ball  in  their 
possession  ten  yards  or  more  in  four  or  less  con- 
secutive attempts,  they  must  surrender  the  ball 
to  the  defense.     Having  this  as  the  sole  object, 

[21] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

how  had  they  best  proceed  to  accomplish  the 
desired  result? 

In  the  discussion  which  follows,  it  is  assumed 
that  both  teams  are  of  about  equal  strength  in 
the  various  departments  of  the  game.  If  this 
be  true,  how,  then,  can  one  team  ever  defeat 
its  opponent?  By  errors  of  commission  and 
omission  which  creep  into  the  play  of  one  or  the 
other.  An  axiom  which  has  held  true  for  years 
is  "Other  things  being  equal,  the  team  which 
makes  the  fewest  mistakes  usually  wins."  Let 
us  at  once  add  this  to  the  growing  list  of  factors 
which  result  in  success  or  failure. 

Now  let  us  for  the  moment  step  into  the  shoes, 
or  rather  look  into  the  brain,  of  the  offensive 
quarterback  and  view  the  kind  of  precepts  which 
are  stored  there.  Mind  you,  this  is  only  the 
A  B  C  of  quarterback  training,  which  varies  in 
elasticity  even  as  the  conventions  of  Auction 
Bridge.  In  Auction,  conditions  are  constantly 
changing  because  not  only  are  there  diflPerent 
cards  in  every  deal,  but  one's  decision  is  always 
dependent  upon  such  things  as  whether  the 
player  is  dealing,  or  sits  number  two,  three,  or 
four  position,  also  upon  the  score  and  whether  it 
is  "free  double,"  and  so  on. 

[22] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND  FOOTBALL 

Or  again,  perhaps  a  better  comparison  is  the 
similarity  of  strategy  employed  in  baseball, 
wherein  the  actions  of  the  pitcher  and  batter  are 
governed  with  reference  to  the  number  of  strikes 
and  balls  on  the  batter,  the  ability  of  the  next 
batter,  how  many  and  on  what  bases  the  runners 
are,  how  many  are  out  and  what  is  the  score  and 
inning. 

Apply  these  principles  to  football  and  we 
get  the  elasticity  of  judgment  required  of  the 
quarterback.  It  always  devolves  upon  him,  with 
a  warp  of  long  training  and  a  woof  of  common 
sense,  to  weave  the  various  component  factors 
into  a  fabric  which  shall  fit  the  exigencies  of 
every  situation.  With  this  as  a  background  the 
quarterback's  Bible  begins  as  follows: 

In  the  selection  of  each  and  every  play  he  must 
consider : 

1.  Climatic  conditions  which  include  the  di- 
rection and  velocity  of  the  wind,  the  position  of 
the  sun,  and  the  condition  of  the  field  of  play, 
i.  e.,  whether  the  footing  is  sure  or  slippery. 

2.  The  position  of  the  ball  on  the  field  of  play, 
i.  e.,  with  respect  to  the  goal  line  and  side  lines. 

3.  Which  down  it  is  and  how  much  distance 
must  be  gained  in  order  to  obtain  a  first  down. 

[23] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

4.  What  the  score  is,  and  how  much  time  there 
remains  before  the  close  of  the  half  or  the  game. 

5.  The  distribution  of  the  defense  and  its  phys- 
ical condition. 

Considering  only  2  and  3  in  combination  the 
quarterback  is  further  burdened  with  a  table  of 
field  tactics,  which  has  been  drummed  into  him 
daily  since  the  beginning  of  the  season,  a  brief 
outline  of  which  runs  as  follows: 

"Unless  the  wind  is  blowing  against  you,"  re- 
iterates the  Coach,  "whenever  you  are  inside  your 
own  twenty  yard  line  punt  on  the  first  or  second 
down,  because  should  a  fumble  occur  and  the 
enemy  recover  the  ball,  they  have  at  once  a 
golden  opportunity  to  score. 

"Between  your  own  twenty  and  forty  yard 
lines,  utiHze  your  various  kinds  of  sweeps,  which, 
though  not  consistent  gainers,  may  result  in  good 
yardage,  but  don't  dare  to  use  any  forward  pass 
which  may  be  intercepted,  nor  any  of  those 
double  passes  for  fear  of  a  fumble.  And  remem- 
ber, always  punt  on  fourth  down  with  more  than 
two  yards  to  go,  because  although  you  are  theo- 
retically surrendering  the  ball  to  your  opponents, 
you  gain  thirty  to  forty  yards  in  doing  so. 

[24] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND  FOOTBALL 

"From  your  own  forty  yard  line  to  your  op- 
ponents' thirty  yard  line  you  are  allowed  a 
greater  choice  of  plays.  Use  your  running  at- 
tack and,  by  manipulating  your  formations, 
threaten  at  once  the  three  salient  arms  of  attack 
— ^the  rush,  forward  pass,  and  kick.  If  your 
rushing  tactics  are  successful  don't  vary  from 
them,  but  if  you  get  held  up  on  third  down  with 
five  yards  to  go,  slip  a  forward  pass  or  one  of 
those  trick  plays.  But  under  no  circumstances 
be  held  for  downs. 

"If  you  reach  your  opponents'  thirty  yard  line 
remember  you  are  within  scoring  distance  and 
concentrate  on  that  word  'score.'  Use  your 
strongest  rushing  plays  and  when  the  defense 
stiffens,  play  your  'ace  of  trumps,'  and  if  on 
fourth  down  you  are  doubtful  about  gaining  the 
required  distance,  get  your  three  points  by  shoot- 
ing a  drop  kick." 

Such  advice,  when  thoroughly  digested,  taken 
in  conjunction  with  the  general  principles  which 
have  been  mentioned,  constitute  a  basis  for  a  cor- 
rect selection  of  plays  at  the  proper  time. 

Having  waded  through  this  theoretical  side 
of  the  game,  let  us  rest  our  wearied  minds  some- 

[25] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

what  by  the  apphcation  of  these  theories  to  prac- 
tical demonstrations  of  what  actually  happens 
during  a  game. 

In  watching  a  football  game,  I  strongly  advise 
the  spectator  to  cultivate  the  habit  of  always 
knowing  the  down  and  distance,  either  by  mem- 
ory or  by  reference  to  the  score  board  which  we 
located  when  we  first  arrived  at  the  field.  In  this 
way  you  can  often  anticipate  the  nature  of  the 
ensuing  play  especially  if  you  will  apply  the  doc- 
trines which  have  been  so  forcibly  impressed  upon 
the  quarterback.  If  we  know  it  is  fourth  down 
and  five  yards  to  go,  we  can  assume  that  the 
quarterback  will  order  a  kick.  When  it  happens, 
we  not  only  feel  a  certain  satisfaction  in  having 
"called"  the  play,  but  through  our  fore  know- 
ledge we  are  enabled  to  see  the  play  with  far 
greater  detail  than  otherwise.  I  cannot  em- 
phasize the  importance  of  this  suggestion  too 
strongly. 

The  greatest  failing  of  the  average  spectator 
is  that  he  keeps  his  eyes  glued  to  the  ball,  or  the 
runner,  during  the  progress  of  a  play.  In  this 
way  he  misses  entirely  the  eternal  conflict  be- 
tween the  offensive  interferer  and  the  defensive 
tackier.     Now  let  it  be  thoroughly  understood 

[26] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND  FOOTBALL 

that  the  veiy  essence  of  ground-gaining  by  rush- 
ing lies  in  this  interference,  i.  e.,  clearing  a  path 
for  the  runner  by  other  players  of  his  side.  That 
you  may  visualize  the  truth  of  this  statement,  let 
us  for  the  moment  assume  that  the  offense  con- 
sisted merely  of  a  player  to  put  the  ball  in  play 
and  a  lone  runner.  The  unhindered  defense 
would  overwhelm  the  runner  before  he  could  run 
a  yard,  kick  or  even  pass  with  any  accuracy. 
From  this  illustratibn,  we  can  now  see  that  it  is 
solely  through  the  co-operative  efforts  of  all  the 
eleven  units  of  the  offense  that  the  various  arms 
of  attack  can  operate  successfully.  Thus  when 
a  plunge  play  is  executed,  it  is  the  offensive  line 
from  tackle  to  tackle  which  enables  the  runner 
to  reach  even  the  line  of  scrimmage,  and  by  its 
superior  charge  against  its  opponents  enables  him 
to  squeeze  through  the  first  line  of  defense. 
(Plate  II)  Again,  when  a  sweep  is  attempted, 
notice  that  usually  two  of  the  backfield  are  de- 
tailed to  put  the  opposing  end  rush  "out  of  com- 
mission." At  the  same  time  our  offensive  end 
and  tackle  are  endeavoring  to  "box"  or  flank  the 
defensive  tackle.  The  remaining  back,  with  per- 
haps the  assistance  of  a  linesman,  rushes  through 
the  gap  outside  of  this  tackle  to  attend  to  the 

[27] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

rush-line  halfback  who  represents  the  second 
line  of  defense.  In  this  way,  the  offense  have 
thrown  six  interferers  against  the  three  of  the 
defense,  who  are  most  likely  to  stop  the  runner 
without  gain.  (Plate  III)  Meanwhile,  other 
linesmen,  after  they  have  performed  their  pro- 
tectionary  assignments  on  the  line  of  scrimmage, 
may  be  seen,  ahead  of  the  runner,  harassing  the 
wing  halfbacks,  or  third  line  of  defense.  Time 
after  time,  you  may  see  these  interferers  continue 
these  tactics  after  the  runner  has  been  thrown. 
(Plate  IV)  The  average  spectator  miscon- 
strues their  action  either  as  unnecessary  rough- 
ness or  as  wasted  effort.  Quite  the  contrary. 
It  is  their  duty  to  engage  certain  of  the  defense 
at  the  moment  when  the  runner,  if  untackled,  ar- 
rives at  that  locality.  Their  eyes  and  attention 
being  directed  against  their  opponents,  they  are 
quite  unable  to  tell  whether  the  runner  is  tackled 
or  not.  In  other  words,  they  are  performing 
their  assignments  irrespective  of  the  fate  of  the 
runner,  on  the  assumption  that  he  will  need  their 
assistance  if  his  path  has  been  cleared  to  that 
point.  Only  on  rare  occasions  does  this  occur, 
but  when  it  does  this  interference  on  the  third 
[28] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND   FOOTBALL 

and  even  fourth  line  of  defense  converts  a  gain 
of  say  ten  yards  into  a  really  long  run  which 
often  as  not  results  in  a  touchdown. 

From  the  Coach's  point  of  view,  these  inter- 
f erers  are  the  real  heroes  of  a  successful  offensive 
play,  albeit  the  runner  often  shows  skill  in  elud- 
ing opponents  either  by  clever  dodging  or  by  the 
use  of  a  "straight-arm."  (Plate  V)  One  fre- 
quently sees  a  brilliant  run  by  a  noted  halfback, 
but  he  who  attributes  a  good  gain  entirely  to  the 
runner  not  only  does  injustice  to  his  teammates, 
but  also  misses  one  of  the  really  fine  points  of 
football.  Therefore,  let  me  urge  that  you  keep 
the  runner  in  the  tail  of  your  vision,  as  it  were, 
and  direct  your  main  attention  on  what  trans- 
pires ahead  of  him. 

Again,  there  is  a  strong  tendency  to  watch  the 
ball  in  its  flight  after  it  has  been  punted.  In 
the  interim,  what  occurs  on  the  field  of  play? 
Note,  before  the  ball  is  actually  kicked,  the  rug- 
ged conflict  between  the  onrushing  defense  and 
the  offensive  backs,  who  act  as  protectors  for 
their  kicker.  (Plate  VI)  Were  it  not  for  the 
wall  these  backs  thus  form  every  attempted  punt 
would  be  easily  blocked.     Even  with  their  assis- 

[29] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

tance  the  kicker  is  forced  to  perform  his  skillful 
act  in  a  few  seconds  of  time,  else  disaster  will 
follow. 

On  another  occasion,  when  on  account  of  your 
knowledge  of  the  down  and  distance  you  are 
reasonably  sure  a  punt  will  ensue,  watch  the  of- 
fensive ends  begin  their  mad  rush  dt)wnfield  at 
the  snap  of  the  ball,  to  be  followed  a  second  later 
by  the  tackles,  while  the  guards  and  center  hold 
their  ground  until  all  possibility  of  a  blocked 
kick  is  eliminated.  As  the  ends  proceed,  you  will 
see  the  defensive  wing  halfbacks,  after  they  have 
made  sure  that  a  rush  or  pass  is  not  forthcoming, 
make  every  effort  to  impede  the  progress  of  the 
offensive  ends,  ending  with  a  final  lunge  at  them 
just  as  the  ball  is  caught.  Here  is  interference 
in  another  form  which  often  enables  the  player 
catching  the  punt  to  gain  yardage  otherwise  not 
possible.  To  counterbalance  this  interference  on 
the  ends,  many  teams  send  a  tackle  downfield  at 
the  snap  of  the  ball.     (Plate  VI). 

Difficult  as  it  is  to  see  either  a  rush  or  kick  in 
its  entirety,  it  is  quite  impossible  to  visualize  the 
great  majority  of  forward  passes.  Not  only  is 
the  intended  direction  and  length  of  the  pass 
unknown  to  the  spectator,  but  often  the  very 

[30] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND  FOOTBALL 

nature  of  the  play  is  concealed  by  a  pretence  of 
the  passer  to  do  something  else.  The  common- 
est form  of  thus  outwitting  the  defense  and  de- 
ceiving the  spectator  as  well,  is  a  pretence  of 
punting  by  the  kicker,  until  the  defense  have  been 
lured  away  from  certain  zones  of  territory,  when 
by  suddenly  desisting  from  his  punting  motions, 
he  is  able  to  pass  to  one  of  his  side  at  the  point  left 
vacant  by  the  deluded  defense.  (Plate  VII) 
Another  trick  which  distresses  the  defense  and 
spectator  alike  is  when  a  clever  player  gives 
every  indication  of  passing  in  one  direction,  and 
then  suddenly  hurls  the  ball  to  an  unnoticed 
player  in  quite  an  opposite  direction.  Still  again, 
a  play  which  to  all  intents  and  purposes  is  a  bona 
fide  attempt  to  rush,  will  suddenly  develop  into 
a  forward  pass  to  the  utter  surprise  of  the  de- 
fense.    (Plate  VIII) 

Failing  then  to  obtain  regularly  a  compre- 
hensive view  of  plays  of  this  nature,  the  best  we 
can  do  is  to  keep  the  tactical  situation  constantly 
in  mind,  i.  e.,  down  and  distance,  and  thus  try  to 
anticipate  the  play  or  be  content  to  watch  the 
passer  closely  and  marvel  at  his  cleverness  and 
the  skill  of  the  receiver. 

[31] 


&3 


oo       c^ 


5^       ^    ^    Sf    5^ 
K,       O    ^    O    ^ 


•s 


[32] 


2*  S^  ^  o 
^  i  ^ 

it- 

w     -*    -^ 
^    -J    ^* 

<^   ^   ^ 
o   _    ^ 

g  ^  a 
a  §  "*• 


55^  r^ 


?f  6 


?5- 

Si 

5i. 


§-^?^ 


Ob 


2o 

<^    a    Ob    ^j 


r^ 


I 


55-  -^  til  a 


«K  o  ^ 


CI 

o 

ai 
>^ 

a 
f 

O 

% 

o 
> 


<s> 


«•.■..  -■  *■♦*; 


..->..-], 


*«    •«  jl   -.»     *^*  •♦«.  * 


Wd 


— ^    /-^ 


% 


LEA 


Plate  IX.  (a)  A  CRISS-CROSS  RUN 

IN  the  top  picture,  the  play  was  taken  at  the  mo- 
ment when  the  hall  was  being  passed  from  one 
player  (1)  moving  towards  the  camera  to 
another  player  (2)  going  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection. 

Notice  that  the  defense  line  has  been  momenta- 
rily blocked  in  order  that  the  players  engaged 
in  the  delicate  operation  just  described  might 
be  thoroughly  protected. 

Meanwhile  interference  is  forming  against  the 
defensive  right  end  (3),  The  defensive  back- 
field  are  shown  in  various  degrees  of  uncer- 
tainty. 

(b) 

THE  lower  picture  shows  the  same  play,  after 
the  rimner  (2)  is  well  under  way  and  the  de- 
fense in  full  cry  after  him. 

The  defensive  right  end  (3)  and  tackle  (4)  are 
seen  sprawling  on  the  ground,  leaving  the 
runner  with  a  valuable  interferer  ahead  of  him, 
to  combat  finally  with  the  three  defense  back- 
field  who  are  now  fully  aware  of  the  final  di- 
rection of  the  play.  The  play  thus  resolves 
into  a  race  for  the  farther  side  line  between 
them  and  the  rum^ner. 

Note  apprehension  shown  by  attitude  of  man 
with  white  hat. 
Centre  College  vs.  Harvard  1920. 


[33] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

So  far  we  have  considered  certain  phases  from 
the  offensive  point  of  view  only.  We  have 
learned  that  although  practically  every  player 
on  the  offense  is  subject  to  a  tremendous  phsy- 
ical  exertion  in  every  play,  yet  he  has  the  great 
advantage  of  knowing,  through  the  medium  of 
numerical  signals,  which  of  his  team  is  to  handle 
the  ball,  where  the  play  is  to  be  directed,  and  in 
case  a  starting  signal  is  used,  when  the  ball  is  to  be 
put  into  play. 

The  defense,  on  the  other  hand,  have  no  know- 
ledge of  any  of  these  all-important  factors  which 
in  itself  constitutes  its  greatest  problem.  Al- 
though the  linemen  are  subject  to  great  physical 
strain  during  every  play,  yet  they  and  the  entire 
backfield  undergo  at  all  times  tremendous  mental 
uncertainty  as  to  what  the  offense  are  going  to  do 
next.  By  reference  to  the  diagrams  we  can  see 
how  the  various  offensive  formations  are  at  once 
answered  by  a  corresponding  shift  in  the  distri- 
bution of  the  defense,  but  having  thus  theoreti- 
cally prepared  for  any  move  the  offensive  may 
make,  the  moment  the  ball  is  put  in  play  they  are 
at  once  subjected  to  many  pitfalls.  Oould  they 
but  recognize  the  signals,  no  offensive  move 
would  be  successful.     They  must  however,  re- 

[34] 


HOW  TO   UNDERSTAND   FOOTBALL 

main  in  ignorance  of  its  nature  not  only  before 
the  play  begins,  but  for  an  appreciable  time  after 
it  starts. 

It  is  this  necessary  hesitancy  of  action  which 
gives  to  the  offensive  an  initial  advantage  best 
illustrated  by  the  cohesive  charge  of  the  offen- 
sive line.  Were  the  opposing  linemen  certain  of 
a  plunging  type  of  play  they  could  easily  meet 
the  attack  with  little  or  no  gain,  but  the  defensive 
tackle,  for  instance,  has  learned  that  he  cannot  af- 
ford always  to  plunge  headlong  at  the  apex  of 
a  play  apparently  aimed  well  to  his  left,  because 
bitter  experience  has  taught  him  that  the  play 
Kiay,  by  a  change  of  direction,  develop  to  his 
right.  So  also  an  end  must  always  beware  of  the 
dreaded  criss-cross  play  which  starts  toward  one 
end  and  by  the  concealed  passage  of  the  ball 
from  one  player  to  another  develops  in  the  op- 
posite direction.     (Plate  IX) 

Consider  the  predicament  of  a  wing  halfback 
who  sees  the  runner  dashing  toward  the  flank 
which  he  is  guarding.  If  the  play  is  really  a 
rush,  he  should  move  forward  to  tackle  the  run- 
ner before  he  has  gained  material  distance.  If, 
however,  the  play  develops  into  a  forward  pass, 
it  is  his  bounden  duty  to  locate  the  player  who  is 

[35] 


p 

CO 

SI 
O 

W 

M 

o 


a  ?^  2  ^ 


HB 


Plate  XI.     A  DROP  KICK 

(a)  A  SUCCESS 

THE  ban  was  put  m  play  on  the  five  yard  line  amd 
was  kicked  from  the  fourteen  yard  line.  It  can 
now  he  seen  on  its  way  toward  the  goal  posts. 

Most  of  the  defensive  line  have  been  successfvlly 
checked  on  the  line  of  scrimmage.  Others  have  met 
the  wall  of  offensive  backs ^  who  protect  the  kicker. 
One  (with  upraised  arms)  made  a  desperate  at- 
tempt  to  block  the  ball  but  was  too  late. 

Notice  position  of  kicker* s  right  leg,  denoting  that 
he  used  simply  the  "snap  of  his  knee**  to  impart 
impetus  to  the  ball. 

Note  also  the  look  of  utter  helplessness  of  the  defen- 
sive backfield, 

Yale  vs.  Harvard  1921, 

(b)  A  FAILURE 

IN  all  respects,  save  one,  the  offensive  have  performed 
their  various  assignments  in  excellent  form.  The 
line  has  blocked  four  of  the  defense  on  the  scrim- 
mage line.  Defensive  right  end  (5)  is  held  up  by 
protecting  back,  amd  a  player  with  upraised  arms 
and  another  behind  him  are  about  to  be  blocked  by 
another  offensive  back. 

The  ball  however,  was  not  elevated  sufficiently  by  the 
kicker.  It  jnay  be  seen  apparently  between  the 
knees  of  player  with  upraised  arms.  In  reality  it 
is  several  feet  nearer  the  carnera. 

Because  drop  kicks  start  from  the  ground  they  are 
easier  to  block  than  punts,  which  are  delivered  from 
a  point  two  or  three  feet  from  the  grou/nd  and  with 
greater  elevation  as  well. 

Harvard  vs,  Penn.  State  1921, 

[37] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

to  receive  the  pass  and  to  be  in  a  proper  position 
to  intercept  it.  He  is  between  the  devil  and  the 
deep  sea.  In  fact  were  it  not  for  the  rule  which 
compels  the  offense  to  execute  a  forward  pass  at 
least  five  yards  behind  a  line  where  the  ball  is 
put  in  play  his  position  would  be  quite  unten- 
able. 

At  other  times,  when  the  forthcoming  forward 
pass  and  the  apparent  receiver  are  patent  to  him, 
by  following  the  receiver,  who  in  reality  is  simply 
a  decoy,  he  is  enticed  away  from  the  locality 
where  the  pass  will  be  caught  by  another  and  real 
receiver.  That  plays  of  this  nature  may  not  be 
consistently  successful  the  defense,  although  sac- 
rificing material  strength  on  the  line  of  scrim- 
mage by  so  doing,  are  rapidly  learning  to  with- 
draw their  center  some  five  yards  from  the  line 
and  thus  support  the  wing  halfback  in  question, 
under  such  conditions  as  described. 

This  man  who  occupies  the  center  position  is 
well  worth  watching,  individually,  for  he  is  called 
upon,  against  close  running  plays,  to  cope  with 
the  rugged  work  in  the  line.  He  must  be  fast 
enough  to  render  immediate  support  to  both 
tackle  and  end  if  playing  as  a  rush  line  halfback, 

[38] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND  FOOTBALL 

and  under  certain  systems  he  must  be  sufBciently 
wise  to  control  correctly  the  entire  scheme  of  de- 
fense. In  this  respect,  whether  under  his  direc- 
tion or  not,  the  defense  are  governed  by  the  same 
principles  which  determine  the  offensive  strategy. 
We  have  learned  that  the  offense  quarterback  is 
constantly  influenced  in  his  choice  of  plays  by  the 
down  and  distance  to  be  gained,  that  if  on 
fourth  down  there  is  but  a  scant  yard  to  go  for 
first  down  he  will  most  likely  rush  and  presum- 
ably use  a  plunging  type  of  play.  If  third  down 
and  more  than  five  yards  to  go  he  will  tend  to- 
wards the  use  of  the  forward  pass.  But  if  on 
fourth  down  and  ten  yards  to  go,  unless  some  un- 
usual circumstances  exist,  he  will  order  a  punt 
or  else  look  forward  to  a  bad  half  hour  with  an 
enraged  coach. 

Conversely,  the  defense  are  trained  in  the  same 
line  of  thought,  so  that  whatever  formation  the 
offense  assume,  the  defense  not  only  respond 
with  the  proper  theoretical  formations,  but  direct 
their  main  attention  towards  coping  with  the  kind 
of  play  (kick,  rush,  or  pass)  the  offense  will 
probably  employ. 

Reference  to  the  diagrams  shows  the  usual 

[39] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

variations  of  defense,  but  all  teams  do  not  assume 
the  positions  as  drawn,  so  that  the  spectator 
should  be  constantly  alert  in  noting  the  defen- 
sive formations,  particularly  when  the  offense 
threaten  to  punt.  See  if  iihe  defense  respond 
by  placing  one  or  two  men  back  to  receive  the 
kick.  The  main  reason  why  they  do  not  always 
put  two  men  at  full  distance  is  for  fear  of  a  for- 
ward pass  into  a  zone  some  ten  to  fifteen  yards 
directly  back  from  the  line  of  scrimmage.  A 
player  is  sorely  needed  at  this  point  when  a  play 
of  this  nature  is  executed.  On  the  other  hand, 
one  man  alone  against  a  punt  cannot  cover  the 
width  of  the  field,  and  an  accurate  punter  will 
always  take  advantage  of  this  fact  by  placing 
his  kicks  to  one  side.  Or,  should  the  punt  come 
to  him  on  the  fly  and  he  muff  it,  none  of  his  side 
are  near  enough  to  render  immediate  assistance 
in  recovering  the  ball.  The  spectator  should 
realize  that  this  "handling"  of  punts  is  of  the  most 
vital  importance  to  the  defense.  Under  the  most 
favorable  conditions  it  is  an  extremely  difficult 
feat,  but  when  the  catcher  is  pitted  against  a 
spiral  punt  with  wind  and  sun  to  complicate  mat- 
ters and  fully  aware  that  the  instant  he  catches 
[40] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND  FOOTBALL 

the  ball  there  will  be  two  or  three  opponents 
ready  to  bang  him  to  the  ground,  know  that  it 
takes  skill  and  a  stout  heart  to  combat  this  play 
successfully  during  the  full  hour's  play. 

If  a  muff  does  occur  and  the  offense  recover, 
it  constitutes  what  is  termed  a  "Break,"  that  is, 
when  the  usual  scheme  of  play  is  marred  by  an 
error  of  commission  or  omission  of  one  of  the 
players.  As  has  been  stated  it  is  mistakes  of  this 
kind  which  often  win  or  lose  a  football  game. 
Perhaps  the  worst  break  which  can  happen 
against  a  team  is  for  the  opponents  to  block  a 
punt  and  recover  the  ball.  It  is  not  only  the 
actual  distance  lost,  but  the  psychological  ef- 
fect upon  the  offending  team  which  plays  such 
havoc. 

Another  type  of  break  occurs  when  a  team  is 
gaining  steadily  and  as  they  are  approaching  the 
enemy's  goal  (or  third  down)  are  penalized  for 
holding.  It  often  happens  that  the  rush  during 
which  this  infraction  occurred  gained  a  good  ten 
yards  and  would  have  made  a  first  down.  In- 
stead, the  offending  team  is  set  back  fifteen  yards 
and  the  down  remains  the  same,  so  that  instead 
of  first  down  on  the  opponent's  fifteen  yard  line 

[41] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

it  is  now  third  down  on  their  forty  yard  line  with 
twenty-five  yards  to  gain.  Thus  the  opportun- 
ity of  scoring  has  been  completely  wiped  out  by 
the  mistake  of  one  individual. 

Intercepted  forward  passes  are  the  most  spec- 
tacular form  of  break,  because  the  play,  from  be- 
ing a  near  success,  sometimes  results  in  utter  dis- 
aster. It  is  because  of  this  "boomerang"  effect 
that  the  offense  use  the  forward  pass  so  sparingly 
in  their  own  territory. 

At  every  game  of  football  there  sits,  usually 
within  earshot,  an  individual  who  persists  in 
venting  his  feelings  against  the  players  on  the 
field  by  a  continuous  line  of  "chatter."  His 
creed  appears  to  be  that  if  his  team  gains  or  pre- 
vents their  opponents  from  gaining,  all  is  well. 
But  when  one  of  his  team  apparently  misses  a 
tackle,  he  sums  up  the  situation  by  the  word  "rot- 
ten." That  man,  and,  thank  Heaven,  this  kind  of 
person  is  confined  to  the  male  gender,  either  has 
never  played  football  himself,  or  else  is  ignorant 
of  the  fact  that  tackles  have  been,  are,  and  will  be 
missed  as  long  as  football  is  played.  Further, 
he  fails  to  discern  that  most  tackles  are  missed, 
not  through  the  clumsiness  of  the  would-be  tack- 

[42] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND   FOOTBALL 

ler,  but  through  the  cleverness  of  the  runner. 
On  another  occasion  when  our  interferers  fail 
to  "clean  up"  the  opposing  end  rush,  he  causti- 
cally remarks  "pretty  bum  attempt,"  not  in  the 
least  recognizing  that  the  end  in  question  had 
by  the  use  of  his  hands  on  the  interferers'  bodies, 
succeeded  in  ridding  himself  of  them  and,  by  a 
superb  tackle,  downed  the  runner  for  a  loss. 
The  lesson  he  should  learn,  then,  is  to  give  credit 
when  and  where  it  properly  belongs. 

A  penalty  for  holding  is  incurred  by  our  team. 
The  referee,  with  ball  in  hand,  starts  pacing  off 
fifteen  yards.  "Robber!"  yells  our  sportsman- 
like neighbor.  Aside  from  his  unseemly  remark, 
he  is  evidently  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  it  is 
the  umpire  who  inflicts  penalties  of  this  nature 
and  that  in  this  case,  the  referee  is  simply  carry- 
ing out  the  verdict  of  the  umpire.  Be  it  known, 
then,  that  the  main  duties  of  the  referee  have 
to  do  with  the  movement  of  the  ballj  while  those 
of  the  umpire,  assisted  by  the  field  judge,  have 
jurisdiction  over  the  conduct  of  the  players. 
The  decisions  of  the  officials  are  always  given 
honestly  and,  in  the  great  majority  of  cases,  cor- 
rectly.    Booing  or  complaining  of  their  actions 

[43] 


Plate  XII.  A  SHORT  LATERAL 
FORWARD  PASS 

(a)  INCEPTION 

THE  ball  was  put  in  play  at  the  point  X.  The 
offense  were  in  open  formation.  The  hall  was 
snapped  to  quarterback  who,  by  running  back- 
ward and  laterally  toward  the  camera,  drew  all 
seven  of  the  primary  defense  after  him.  He 
is  now  in  the  act  of  passing  the  ball  to  another 
back  seen  in  foreground. 

To  show  that  the  offense  are  well  aware  of  the 
danger  of  the  play  (note  proximity  of  defense) 
the  player  at  extreme  left  is  so  placed  that  if 
the  defense  intercepted  the  pass  he  could  tackle 
the  runner. 

(b)   COMPLETION 

THE  lower  picture  shows  the  same  play  just 
after  the  receiver  caught  the  ball,  but  before  he 
has  had  time  to  tuck  it  safely  under  his  arm. 

He  has  not  yet  reached  the  original  line  of 
scrimmage  (about  opposite  pail  on  further  side 
line)  but  is  already  menaced  by  the  defensive 
wingback  who  has  advanced  to  meet  him. 
Another  back  is  still  following  a  decoy  player 
(on  extreme  right),  who  was  sent  ahead  of  the 
play  for  this  purpose. 

In  the  background  a  thirdback  is  seen  in  the  act 
of  dodging  an  offensive  interferer.  This  pic- 
ture emphasizes  the  lateral  ground  covered 
during  the  play. 

Harvard  vs.  Centre  College  1921. 

[44] 


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[45] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

has  no  place  in  any  amateur  sport,  albeit  that  it 
seems  to  have  become  a  privilege  for  the  frenzied 
fan  at  professional  baseball  games. 

This  same  individual  is  also  apt  to  criticise 
loudly  the  quarterback  for  not  doing  otherwise 
than  he  did.  Comes  a  critical  situation.  Which 
of  the  three  arms  of  attack  shall  our  quarterback 
employ?  A  kick,  run  or  pass?  He  decides  on 
one  and  the  defense  completely  foil  the  attempt. 
Mr.  Know-it-all  at  once  shrieks  his  disapproval, 
"punk  judgment." 

To  him  I  address  the  following:  Kindly  real- 
ize that  the  quarterback  is  a  mere  boy  of  twenty 
odd  years ;  that,  like  as  not,  this  is  his  first  cham- 
pionship game  (under  the  present  eligibility 
rules,  it  cannot  be  more  than  his  third) ;  that 
he  has  been  playing  almost  an  hour  against  a 
rough  and  rugged  team  and  has  received  many 
blows  and  hard  falls  that  would  have  made  either 
you  or  me  quit  long  ago;  that  although  he  has 
had  intensive  training  in  the  comparative  quiet 
of  secret  practice,  yet  please  know  that  it  is 
quite  a  different  matter  to  put  into  effect  what 
has  been  taught  him  when  eleven  burly  oppo- 
nents are,  figuratively  speaking,  endeavoring  to 

[46] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND  FOOTBALL 

beat  his  brains  out  and  fifty  to  seventy  thousand 
people  are  helping  him  to  think  straight  by  yell- 
ing their  heads  off. 

And,  finally,  Mr.  Smarty,  that  you  may  to 
some  small  degree  appreciate  the  stress  under 
which  he  is  working,  I  give  you  for  correct  solu- 
tion the  following  problem:  Assume  that  you 
are  standing  in  that  quarterback's  shoes;  that 
your  team  has,  by  virtue  of  superhuman  effort, 
or  through  your  own  cleverness,  if  you  prefer, 
reached  the  enemy's  two  yard  line.  The  position 
of  the  ball  is  unfortunately  well  toward  the  side- 
line; it  is  the  fourth  down  and  the  goal  line  to 
go.  The  score  is  6  to  3  against  you  and  the 
Field  Judge  has  just  told  you  that  there  is  less 
than  two  minutes  to  play  in  the  final  period  of 
the  game. 

Let  me  assist  you  in  your  reasoning,  as  you 
stand  there  with  your  reputation  quaking  in  the 
balance.  You  will  notice  that  the  enemy's  line  is 
greatly  reinforced  by  two  halfbacks  who  have 
quite  rightly  stationed  themselves  directly  be- 
hind their  two  tackles,  and  look  at  the  do  or  die 
expression  on  the  faces  of  those  three  center  men. 
The  flanks  are  also  strengthened  by  two  wing 

[47] 


[48] 


M 

I— I 

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^  s  «  s 


[49] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

halfbacks,  who  because  the  forward  pass  zone  is 
restricted  to  ten  yards  beyond  the  goal  line,  have 
wisely  taken  position  much  nearer  the  scrim- 
mage line  than  usual.  But  "take  it  from  me" 
all  four  of  the  enemy's  backfield  are  on  the  alert 
for  a  forward  pass  into  that  narrow  strip  of  legal 
territory,  and  remember  it  is  only  necessary  for 
them  to  bat  the  ball  away  from  your  receivers 
to  constitute  a  touchback,  in  which  case  your 
goose  is  cooked.  Somehow,  the  space  between 
the  goal  posts  appears  unusually  narrow  as  you 
consider  trying  to  tie  the  score  by  kicking  a 
drop  goal,  just  as  that  golf  hole  looks  the  size 
of  a  pin  head  when  you  have  a  four-foot  putt 
for  a  halved  match  on  the  eighteenth  green. 

"I  have  it,"  you  say,  in  faked  calmness.  "Even 
if  I  fail  in  my  rush,  the  enemy  will  be  compelled 
to  punt  from  an  awkward  position,  and  we  can 
make  a  fair  catch  and  then  tie  the  score  by  kick- 
ing a  goal  from  placement." 

"Well,  as  long  as  you  have  decided  on  a  rush, 
which  one  are  you  going  to  use?  Go  ahead  and 
do  something  quickly,  or  the  referee  will  penal- 
ize you  two  yards  for  delaying  the  game,  and 
finally  remember  that  of  the  three  arms  of  at- 

[50] 


HOW  TO  UNDERSTAND  FOOTBALL 

tack,  only  one  can  be  used  in  this  last  remaining 
try;  therefore,  theoretically,  the  odds  are  two  to 
one  against  your  successfully  accomplishing 
whatever  you  attempt.     Good  luck  to  you ! " 


[51] 


Diagram  I 


Defense  Totmati^A  A 
55 


>^' 


X^ 


X      X  X    Kl  X   X   X 


^ 


o  ooocioo 
o 


offense    Fbrmatfon    —   Close 

[52] 


Diagram  I 

THE  offense  in  close  formation  are  able  to  attack 
by  rtishing  all  points  on  the  primary  line  of 
defense.  For  this  reason  the  latter^  unless 
they  anticipate  a  forward  pass,  usiially  place 
seven  men  on  the  line  of  scrimmage  to  combat 
the  weight  of  the  impending  attack  upon  it, 

A  player  of  rugged  build  is  stationed  from  three 
to  four  yards  back  of  the  first  line  of  defense, 
opposite  the  apex  of  the  offensive  formation. 
This  player,  known  as  a  rush  line  halfback, 
supports  the  line  from  tackle  to  tackle  and  con- 
stitutes the  second  line  of  defense.  The  other 
halfbacks  (usually  termed  wingbacks)  are 
forced  to  take  position  sufficiently  removed  to 
be  on  equal  terms  with  possible  receivers  of  the 
forward  pass. 

Owing  to  the  predominating  running  strength  of 
the  offense  on  their  left  side,  the  defensive  right 
wingback  is  called  upon  to  support  his  end  on 
all  plays  run  in  his  direction.  He,  therefore, 
plays  somewhat  nearer  the  scrimmage  line  than 
the  left  wingback,  whose  main  duty  is  to  watch 
for  a  forward  pass  until  he  is  certain  that  it  is 
not  forthcoming,  after  which  he  should  assist 
his  second  line  in  preventing  gains  by  rushing. 
The  wing  halfbacks  are  known  as  the  third  line 
of  defense. 

The  remaining  player,  the  fourth  line  of  defense, 
is  placed  from  twenty  to  thirty  yards  in  the 
rear  to  cope  with  a  possible  quick  kick  or  any 
pass  or  rush  that  reaches  his  territory, 

[58] 


Diagram  II 


Defense    T^orm^stTon    3 : 

X  X 


i^ 


^  X    x:  X    X .2C 

O  OOODOO 


O 
O 


O 


O^fens^   7'oj'm<3l'Con  — »  Open 


..X-.\ _-■  II 


[54] 


Diagram  II 

THE  open  formation  is  used  primarily  for  kick- 
ing  (the  diagram  is  drawn  for  a  left-footed 
kicker).  From  it,  however,  are  run  plunges, 
slants  and  sweeps,  the  last  type  being  so  for- 
midable as  to  cause  a  widening  of  the  defense 
rush  line.  Forward  passes  of  various  kinds 
are  also  used,  so  that  the  defensive  center  is 
forced  to  fill  the  gap  left  vacant  by  the  neces- 
sary changes  in  the  backfield,  caused  by  the 
threatened  kick. 

Versus  this  open  formation  the  defense  is  thus 
stretched  in  width  and  depth.  If  too  far  in 
either  direction,  the  offense  at  once  takes  ad- 
vantage of  the  weak  spot.  Both  the  offense 
and  defense  vary  considerably  from  the  dia- 
gram in  accordance  with  the  immediate  cir- 
cumstances. 


[65] 


Diagram  III 


1 

Defense      T'orma.h'on 

C 

X 

X 

X 

'>C      vc      vc    ^     -^ 

O       OOOClOO 

o    o 

KJ 

Oif^nse 

"Formah'on  — 

"  Loose 

[56] 


Diagram  III 

THE  offense  have  loosened  the  distribution  of 
their  team  laterally  in  an  attempt  to  flank  the 
defensive  right  tackle.  By  this  arrangement 
also  they  have  so  grouped  their  backfleld  as 
to  enable  them  the  more  easily  to  wend  their 
way  through  the  opposing  line  in  order  to  re- 
ceive forward  passes. 

For  this  reason  the  defense,  although  sacrificing 
^material  strength  on  the  primary  line,  are 
forced  to  withdraw  their  center  rush  who  is 
thus  able  to  assist  his  back  field  not  only  against 
plays  of  this  nature  but  also  to  lend  much- 
needed  support  to  the  weakened  scrimmage 
line. 

The  third  and  fourth  lines  of  defense  remain  un- 
changed. 


[57] 


Diagram  IV 


JJefeme    /-crmar/bn    Jj 

X 

X                                                ^ 

^                                 X 

X        y      V      X 

^ 

O                                    OOOQOO 

o  o 

o 

i 

Ojj&nsiP    T^armah'ort   —    \\/r/^^ 

[58] 


Diagram  IV 

THE  offense  have  now  assumed  a  formation  in 
which  there  remains  so  little  rushing  strength 
of  a  plunging  nature,  that  the  defense  leave 
only  the  two  guards  and  two  tackles  to  combat 
with  it.  The  rest  of  the  team  is  so  placed  as 
to  best  cope  with  forward  passes  or  wide  runs. 

On  account  of  the  width  of  the  offensive  forma- 
tion it  is  so  difficult  for  the  defensive  backfield 
to  cover  laterally  their  respective  zones,  that 
the  defensive  ends  are  called  upon  not  only  to 
protect  the  flanks  against  sweeps,  but  also  to 
guard  flat  zones  on  or  about  the  extended  line 
of  scrimmage,  into  which  the  offense  are  apt  to 
make  a  forward  pass. 

To  adequately  accomplish  these  two  important 
duties,  they  are  compelled  to  take  station  some 
five  yards  back  of  the  scrimmage  line. 

The  backfield  are  thus  allowed  to  maintain  the 
same  relative  positions  as  shown  in  Diagram 
III. 


[59] 


II 

THE  FIFTY-YEAR  BATTLE  BE- 
TWEEN THE  OFFENSE  AND 
DEFENSE 

THAT  full  appreciation  of  the  tremen- 
dous developments  which  have  been 
wrought  in  the  game  may  be  realized, 
let  us  revert  to  the  origin  of  football  in  this 
country,  follow  the  various  changes  in  the  play- 
ing rules,  and  note  their  effect  upon  the  tactics 
of  the  offense  and  defense. 

UnHke  the  English  game  which  for  years  has 
retained  its  most  distinctive  features,  American 
football  has  shown  constant  advancement  in  new 
directions,  so  that  at  the  present  time  it  so 
abounds  with  innovations  and  new  ideas  as  to 
be  fundamentally  different  from  that  played  in 
the  various  football  epochs  of  the  past. 

By  far  the  most  interesting  aspect  of  football 
is  the  struggle  between  the  offense  and  defense. 
Superiority  has  lain  first  with  one  then  with  the 
other,  the  reasons  for  which  we  will  now  trace 

[60] 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  OFFENSE  AND  DEFENSE 

from  the  time  when  the  game  was  divorced  from 
the  English  Rugby.  In  the  early  seventies, 
when  the  game  was  played  under  English  rules, 
there  were  fifteen  players  on  a  side.  There  was 
no  successive  possession  of  the  ball,  no  downs, 
no  signals,  no  interference  for  the  runner,  and 
no  penalty  for  failure  to  make  distance.  After 
the  number  of  players  had  been  reduced  to 
eleven,  the  first  American  legislation  was  to  al- 
low one  team  possession  of  the  ball  when  an 
offensive  play  was  to  be  attempted,  in  other 
words,  an  organized  outlet  of  the  scrimmage. 
In  this  lies  the  backbone  around  which  the  entire 
body  of  American  football  is  attached. 

Having  allowed  the  offense  possession  of  the 
ball  a  problem  soon  arose  as  to  the  proper  method 
of  preventing  what  was  then  called  the  "block 
game."  As  there  were  no  rules  relating  to  the 
number  of  downs,  or  distance  to  be  gained,  it  be- 
came the  practice  of  the  offense  to  keep  the  ball 
continuously  in  their  possession,  irrespective  of 
the  distance  gained  or  lost,  so  that  even  if  a  team 
was  forced  behind  its  own  goal-line,  the  ball  was 
taken  out  to  the  twenty-five  yard  line,  at  which 
point  play  was  resumed  without  penalty. 

Thus,  in  1881  Yale  and  Princeton  played  a 

r.61] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

0-0  tie,  in  which  Princeton  had  possession  of  the 
ball  during  the  entire  first  half,  making  a  gain 
of  only  ten  yards  in  forty  minutes'  play.  Yale 
started  the  second  half  with  the  ball,  and  never 
once  relinquished  it  until  the  game  was  finished. 

To  prevent  the  continuance  of  these  tactics, 
rules  were  adopted  in  1882,  the  first  of  which 
declared  that  if  the  offense  were  forced  over  their 
own  goal-line,  two  points  should  accrue  to  the 
other  team.  More  important  was  another  rule 
which  provided  that  the  offense  must,  in  three 
successive  rushes,  advance  the  ball  five  yards  or 
retreat  with  it  ten  yards,  failing  to  accomplish 
either,  the  ball  to  be  surrendered  to  the  defense. 
Not  only  did  these  rules  prevent  the  monotonous 
tactics  of  the  block  game,  but  they  were  the 
cause  of  the  present-day  ^ve  yard  lines  which, 
striping  the  field  of  play,  have  earned  for  it  the 
name  "gridiron." 

This  five-yard  rule  so  weakened  the  offense 
that  the  rule  makers  about  the  same  time  abol- 
ished the  English  rule  which  forbade  an  offen- 
sive player  to  block  opponents  while  in  advance 
of  the  ball.  Thus  the  last  vestige  of  Rugby  was 
cast  aside,  and  the  comer-stone  of  our  present 
system  of  interference  was  laid. 

[62] 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  OFFENSE  AND  DEFENSE 

With  this  new  agency  at  its  command,  the  of- 
fense made  great  strides  in  strategy  and  tactics, 
and  we  find  that  through  the  adoption  of  signals, 
crude  as  they  were,  the  defense  soon  crumbled 
before  what  were  really  the  beginnings  of  an  or- 
ganized attack  with  the  attendant  importance  of 
the  quarterback  to  direct  it. 

In  order  to  bolster  up  the  defense,  an  inno- 
cent looking  rule  was  passed  in  1888,  which 
legalized  tackhng  the  runner  from  the  waist  to 
the  knees.  As  it  turned  out  this  low  tackle  in- 
troduced into  the  game  a  defensive  weapon  so 
powerful  that  the  day  of  individual  end  running 
and  dodging  was  doomed.  In  its  stead  the  of- 
fensive rush-line  was  now  contracted  until  the 
men  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder,  and  the  half- 
backs were  moved  up  to  within  four  or  five  yards 
of  the  scrimmage  line  to  cope  with  the  quick 
plunges  into  the  line  that  the  new  game  required. 

Thus  passed  the  beautiful  open  style  of  run- 
ning which  is  so  fondly  remembered  by  the  older 
generation  of  today;  and  in  its  place  came  the 
ugly,  uncouth  beginnings  of  mass  play. 

Ingenious  inventions  at  once  appeared  along 
this  line  of  tactical  development.  Yale  utilized 
the  new  interference  idea  by  sending  a  player 

[68] 


[64] 


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fi^mi 


Plate  XVII.  (a)  A  FINE  PIECE 
OF  INTERFERENCE 

TH'E  upper  picture  (taken  from  sidelines)  shows 
the  offense  sweeping  the  right  flank  of  the  de- 
fense. Right  end  has  been  completely  over- 
powered by  interference  and  may  be  seen  on 
the  ground.  Two  more  interferers  are  now 
assailing  the  defensive  right  tackle  who  has  so 
far  been  able  to  keep  laterally  abreast  of  the 
rum^ner.  By  the  use  of  his  left  hand,  he  rids 
himself  of  the  first  interferer  who  is  using  his 
right  arm  illegally,  but  the  second  knocks  him 
clean  off  his  feet,  as  is  shown  in  lower  picture 
taken  a  second  later  from  a  higher  eleva- 
tion. 

(b) 

Note  how  mu£h  more  comprehensive  the  lower 
picture  is.  The  defensive  right  end  is  still  on 
the  ground,  the  right  tackle  is  approaching  it 
rapidly,  but  the  second  line  of  defense  looms 
up  ominously  and  will  tackle  the  runner  on  the 
chalk  line  between  the  two, 

Man  with  white  hat  on  sideline  evidently  bears 
malice  against  someone. 

Centre  College  vs.  Harvard  1920. 


[65] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

through  the  line  in  advance  of  the  runner,  com- 
monplace now,  but  irresistible  when  first  dis- 
closed. Princeton,  equally  constructive,  devised 
the  play  now  familiarly  known  as  "boxing  the 
tackle."  Simple  now,  but  surprisingly  formid- 
able when  first  used  against  Yale  in  1888.  The 
defense  soon  met  these  innovations  by  placing 
a  halfback,  who  before  stood  ten  or  fifteen  yards 
from  the  scrimmage  line,  immediately  behind 
each  tackle,  thus  presenting  a  new  invention 
called  the  "secondary  defense,"  which  was  the 
beginning  of  the  co-operative  relationship  be- 
tween the  defensive  halfbacks  and  the  line,  which 
in  turn  accelerated  the  detailed  development 
of  position  play  and  rush-line  tactics. 

During  this  period  the  game  opened  with  the 
time-honored  "kick-off,"  such  as  is  in  vogue  to- 
day, but  the  rules  then  did  not  stipulate  the 
distance  which  the  ball  must  be  kicked.  This 
loophole  was  eventually  utilized  by  some  strate- 
gist at  Princeton,  who  instead  of  kicking  the 
ball  well  down  the  field  as  was  the  custom,  merely 
touched  it  with  his  foot,  thus  meeting  the  tech- 
nical requirements  of  the  rule,  and  then  passed 
it  to  another  of  his  side  for  a  rush.  The  for- 
mation used  for  this  play  resembled  a  V,  with 

[66] 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  OFFENSE  AND  DEFENSE 

the  runner  within  the  wedge  thus  formed.  Al- 
though this  play  was,  of  course,  formidable,  its 
ultimate  strength  was  not  disclosed  until  the 
opening  of  the  second  half  of  the  Harvard- Yale 
game  in  1892.  Yale  had  begun  the  game  with 
the  orthodox  wedge  play,  but  when  Harvard's 
turn  came  in  the  second  half,  instead  of  the 
players  grouping  near  the  ball  as  heretofore,  the 
two  sides  of  the  V  in  groups  of  five  men,  took 
station  fifteen  yards  to  the  rear  and  well  toward 
each  sideline.  One  man  was  left  in  control  of 
the  ball,  who,  when  all  was  ready,  waved  his  hand 
and  the  two  sections  started  on  the  run,  so  con- 
verging as  to  form  at  the  time  they  reached  him 
a  perfect  "flying  wedge."  Meanwhile  the  ball 
remained  upon  the  ground,  thus  preventing  the 
defense  from  advancing  beyond  the  restraining 
line  until  the  last  moment,  when  it  was  legally 
put  into  play  and  passed  to  a  player  within  the 
walls  of  the  V.  The  Yale  line  was  naturally 
overwhelmed  by  the  weight  and  speed  of  this 
play,  and  had  not  the  runner  tripped  over  one  of 
his  interferers  at  Yale's  twenty  yard  line,  he 
would  have  undoubtedly  scored  a  touchdown. 
No  innovation  has  ever  been  devised  as  spec- 
tacular or  sensational  as  this  play.     Having  been 

[67] 


Plate  XVIII.   (a)   CLEVER  DE- 
FENSIVE METHODS 

IN  the  upper  picture,  an  offensive  sweep  around 
the  left  flank  of  the  defense  is  well  under  way, 
with  three  interferers  ahead  of  the  runner. 
One  is  in  contract  with  defensive  player  (1), 
another  appears  to  have  the  advantage  of 
player  (2),  while  a  third  is  aiming  intently  for 
player  (S)  and  player  (4)  is  not  abreast  of  the 
runner.  It  would,  therefore,  appear  as  if  the 
offense  were  on  the  threshold  of  a  good  gain. 

(b) 
HOWEVER,  the  lower  picture  of  the  same 
play,  taken  less  than  ''two  steps''  later,  shows 
a  decided  change  of  complexion.  To  he  sure 
the  runner  has  advanced  a  whole  yard,  hut 
player  (1)  maltreated  the  interferer  (now 
stretched  on  the  ground)  who  was  menacing 
him.  Player  (2),  hy  using  his  hands  on  the 
hody  and  head  of  his  opponent,  is  now  free  from 
him.  Player  (3)  has  wisely  kept  on  the  out- 
side of  the  runner  and  although  he  is  about  to 
receive  the  full  shock  of  an  interferer^  he 
caused  the  runner  to  turn  in,  where  he  was  met 
hy  player  (2),  the  very  man  who  a  second  ago 
appeared  to  he  out  of  the  play.  No  douht 
player  (4)  would  have  tackled  the  runner,  but 
then  again  he  might  not. 

Centre  College  vs.  Harvard  1920. 
[68] 


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[69] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

perfected  in  secret  practice  it  came  as  a  total 
surprise  to  all  except  the  Harvard  team,  and  for 
years  after  spectators  have  vainly  looked  for 
some  similar  sensation. 

To  this  one  play  can  be  attributed  all  of  the 
so-called  "momentum-mass  plays"  which  there- 
after rapidly  came  into  vogue.  The  new  pos- 
sibilities thus  revealed  soon  took  the  form  of 
"flying  interference"  from  scrimmage  formation, 
wherein  the  majority  of  the  offensive  side  started 
before  the  ball  was  put  in  play  to  act  as  interfer- 
ence for  the  runner.  So  overwhelmingly  power- 
ful were  these  offensive  principles  that  in  1896  the 
Rules  Committee  wisely  abolished  them  entirely. 

Although  stripped  of  its  strongest  weapon  of 
attack  the  offense  was  not  long  in  devising  plays, 
the  salient  feature  of  which  was  hiding  the  run- 
ner in  a  mass  of  players  who  formed  a  "revolving 
wedge,"  usually  on  tackle.  The  exact  outlet  was 
left  to  the  judgment  of  the  runner,  who,  follow- 
ing "the  line  of  least  resistance,"  was  often  un- 
wound into  a  clear  field.  In  order  to  add  more 
power  and  deception  the  offense  began  the  with- 
drawal of  first  one  and  then  several  line  men  to 
re-inforce  the  backfield. 

The  most  successful  offense  of  this  type,  pro- 

[70] 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  OFFENSE  AND  DEFENSE 

duced  at  Pennsylvania  in  the  early  nineties,  was 
called  "guards  back."  This  system,  which  was 
the  first  of  what  was  termed  "a  steam  roller"  at- 
tack, held  sway  over  the  defense  with  eminent 
success  for  several  years.  Harvard,  however,  in 
1898  finally  overcame  this  style  of  attack  by  add- 
ing one  of  their  defensive  halfbacks  to  the  rush- 
line,  which  was  thus  able  to  envelop  the  forma- 
tion before  the  runner  reached  the  line  of  scrim- 
mage. In  1900,  Yale,  recognizing  the  funda- 
mental weakness  of  the  guards  back  formation, 
modified  it  so  that  it  was  not  vulnerable  from  the 
flanks,  and  thus  came  to  the  game  the  wonder- 
ful "tackle  back"  system  of  play.  In  1901,  Har- 
vard, not  to  be  outdone,  added  deception  to  the 
power  of  this  formation,  and  once  again  the  de- 
fense lay  helpless  before  the  grinding  process  of 
mass  play. 

During  the  succeeding  years,  variations  of  this 
type  of  offense  produced  so  many  injuries  to 
players  that  in  response  to  an  insistent  public 
demand  the  Rules  Committee  in  1906  took  dras- 
tic measures  toward  cleaning  house  of  all  kinds 
of  mass  plays,  by  restricting  the  number  and 
positions  of  such  players  as  were  not  on  the  line 
of  scrimmage  when  the  ball  was  put  in  play. 

[71] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

Not  only  was  the  offense  thus  stripped  of  all 
real  rushing  power,  but  it  was  called  upon  to 
gain  ten  yards  in  four  tries  as  against  the  pre- 
vious live  yards  in  three  tries. 

As  compensation  for  the  loss  incurred  two 
wholly  new  offensive  features  were  by  law  intro- 
duced into  the  game — ^the  forward  pass  and  the 
onside  kick,  but  both  were  surrounded  by  so 
many  complicated  restrictions  that  neither  was 
seriously  considered  as  an  integral  part  of  the 
offensive  scheme.  Yet  the  Committee  naturally 
thought  that  the  defensive  tackles  would  be  re- 
lieved from  the  weight  of  the  rushing  game.  It 
so  turned  out,  however,  that  the  wing  halfbacks 
were  forced  to  give  up  their  support  to  the  rush- 
line  and  station  themselves  ten  yards  to  the  rear 
in  order  to  cover  the  forward  pass  zones.  Taking 
advantage  of  this  fact  the  offense  learned,  in 
succeeding  years,  that  linemen  could  be  utilized 
in  assisting  the  runner  by  pulling  him  along  after 
he  had  reached  the  line  of  scrimmage.  Thus,  in 
1909,  we  find  a  system  of  mass  plays  as  deadly 
as  its  predecessors.  In  reality,  then,  it  was  the 
"threat"  of  a  pass  which  defeated  the  aims  for 
which  the  forward  pass  was  introduced. 

However,  rather  than  give  up  this  salient  arm 

[72] 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  OFFENSE  AND  DEFENSE 

of  attack,  the  Committee  in  1910  went  to  the 
core  of  the  trouble,  and  prohibited  any  bodily  as- 
sistance to  the  runner.  In  consequence  of  the 
check  thus  abruptly  placed  on  the  offense,  scor- 
ing through  the  medium  of  the  rushing  game  was 
all  but  stopped  and  the  forward  pass  and  onside 
kick  were  of  such  a  haphazard  nature  that  al- 
though advances  were  possible  in  the  middle  por- 
tion of  the  field,  yet  the  offense  was  left  without 
the  punx2h  necessary  to  carry  the  ball  over  the 
goal-line.  It  was  during  this  trying  period  that 
the  offense,  in  dire  need  of  a  play  which  would 
supply  this  deficiency,  resurrected  the  drop  kick, 
and  made  of  it  the  prime  scoring  play. 

During  1910  and  1911  it  was  apparent  the  of- 
fense had  been  stripped  of  too  much  power,  so 
the  Rules  Committee  was  once  more  called  upon 
to  restore  the  proper  balance  to  the  game.  Fear- 
ful of  strengthening  the  rushing  game  directly, 
lest  mass  plays  should  again  appear,  they  wisely 
directed  their  attention  in  1912  towards  bolster- 
ing up  the  offense  through  the  medium  of  the 
forward  pass,  which  was  then  made  a  practical 
weapon  by  removing  the  complicated  restrictions 
which  surrounded  it,  and  in  order  that  it  could 
be  used  more  successfully  as  a  scoring  play,  a 

[73] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

zone  of  ten  yards  was  created  beyond  the  goal 
line  in  which  a  forward  pass  could  legally  be 
completed  as  a  touchdown. 

Not  only  has  this  proved  feasible,  but  on  ac- 
count of  the  constant  threat  of  a  forward  pass, 
the  secondary  defense  are  subtly  held  at  arm's 
length,  thus  allowing  the  rushing  game  to  share 
again  its  proper  proportion  of  ground  gained. 

Throughout  the  vicissitudes  of  the  rushing 
game,  caused  by  the  ever-changing  rules,  the  art 
of  kicking  has  always  remained  the  back-bone 
of  the  offense. 

To  be  sure  the  rule  which  allowed  the  direct 
pass  from  centre  to  kicker  naturally  so  reduced 
the  period  of  time  from  the  snap  of  the  ball 
till  the  actual  kick  took  place  as  to  make  it  far 
more  difficult  for  the  defense  to  block  both  punts 
and  drop-kicks.  Also  the  methods  of  "Protect- 
ing the  kicker  against  the  onrush  ensive 
line  were  vastly  improved  by  a  contraction  of 
the  offensive  line,  thus  forming  an  impenetrable 
wall  of  players  and  the  proper  utilization  of  the 
other  backs  in  warding  off  the  opposing  ends  and 
tackles. 

Still  another  indirect  method  of  protecting  the 
kicker  lay  in  the  adoption  of  "fake  kicks"   (a 

[74] 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  OFFENSE  AND  DEFENSE 

pretense  of  a  kick  developing  into  either  a 
plunge,  slant  or  sweep)  which  caused  the  defense 
to  hesitate  before  committing  themselves  blindly 
towards  the  kicker's  foot.  Contained  in  these 
plays  were  the  beginnings  of  the  so-called 
"threats"  which  became  still  more  effective  after 
the  introduction  of  the  forward  pass  and  which 
today  are  the  basis  of  holding  the  defense  in 
check  until  the  offensive  maneuver  is  well  under 
way. 

Hence,  instead  of  the  constantly  recurring 
blocked  kicks  of  the  early  nineties  (in  the  Prince- 
ton-Harvard game  of  1895  there  were  eight 
kicks  blocked  during  the  game)  only  on  rare  oc- 
casions does  a  well-drilled  team  of  the  present 
day  experience  this  humiliation.  For  example, 
in  1909  Yale  blocked  a  punt  in  the  Harvard 
game,  Jiut  from  that  time  Harvard's  kicking 
game  vsijfc  perfected  that  not  a  single  punt 
was  bloc^ked  in  a  championship  contest  until  the 
Princeton  game  of  1920. 

However,  in  individual  skill  the  old-timers 
were  as  good,  if  not  better  than  the  present  gen- 
eration. Such  men  as  Moffat  who  punted  with 
either  foot  and  who  scored  several  drop-kicks 
while  on  the  run  are  not  to  be  equalled  to- 

[75] 


1761 


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PL  in  B 


Plate  XXI.  A  FINGERNAIL 
TACKLE 

(a) 

THE  upper  picture  shows  offense  advancing 
from  right  to  left.  The  play  started  as  a  wide 
slant  on  defensive  right  tackle,  hut  the  rummer 
(1),  seeing  a  large  hole  inside  this  point,  de- 
cided to  take  advantage  of  it  and  is  now  in  the 
act  of  changing  his  direction  for  this  purpose. 
However,  defensive  player  (2),  by  digging  his 
heel  in  the  ground,  abruptly  changed  his  di- 
rection also,  but  in  tackling  the  runner  he 
failed  to  obtain  a  firm  hold,  the  true  nature  of 
which  can  be  seen  in  the  lower  picture,  xvhich 
was  snapped  a  second  later. 

(b) 
AND  yet  he  maintained  his  ''fingernail"  grip 
and,  had  not  others  of  the  defense  come  to  his 
aid,  would  have  actually  downed  the  runner 
single-handed.  Had  this  tackle  been  missed, 
the  runner,  who  had  already  ''reversed'^  the  op- 
posing backfleld,  stood  a  good  chance,  by  con- 
tinuing to  his  right,  of  crossing  the  opponents' 
goal  line,  which  is  only  seven  paltry  yards 
ahead  of  him. 

Yale  vs.  Harvard  1921. 


[77] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

day.  Such  kickers  as  Bull,  Butterworth,  Traf- 
ford,  Brooke,  O'Day,  Kernan,  Coy  and  Felton 
showed  such  marked  superiority  over  their  op- 
ponents that  the  punt  was  used  not  only  to  kick 
their  teams  out  of  their  own  territory  but,  by  a 
continuance  of  the  same  tactics,  to  reach  a  point 
well  within  the  opponents'  territory  (sometimes 
referred  to  as  "scoring  distance")  when  the  rush- 
ing game  for  the  first  time  was  brought  into 
action. 

Those  were  the  days  when  the  punting  duel  be- 
tween two  evenly-matched  kickers  was  the  out- 
standing feature  of  the  game.  It  was  not  un- 
usual for  each  team  to  punt  eighteen  to  twenty 
times,  hoping  not  only  to  outdistance  its  oppo- 
nents but  to  cause  a  **break"  by  recovering  a 
muffed  punt.  Many  a  championship  game  was 
won  or  lost  on  this  point  alone  and  as  many  more 
through  the  imperfect  performance  of  the  kicker. 
Great  responsibility  then  rested  upon  the  punter 
who  was  to  a  football  team  what  a  pitcher  is  to 
a  baseball  team  today. 

Since  the  standardization  of  the  present  game, 
referred  to  later,  there  has  been  a  decadence  in 
the  art  of  punting.  This  has  been  caused  by  the 
increased  use  of  the  forward  pass  which  because 

[78] 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  OFFENSE  AND  DEFENSE 

of  its  importance  has  usurped  the  time  devoted 
heretofore  to  the  training  of  punters  with  cor- 
responding deterioration  of  effective  results.  To 
sum  up,  then:  whereas  punting  used  to  be 
a  full  half  of  the  offensive  strength,  now  it  rep- 
resents less  than  one  third  of  its  collective  power. 

In  the  art  of  drop -kicking,  however,  there  has 
been  a  distinct  tendency  towards  increased  skill. 
Although  a  few  of  the  old-timers  made  notable 
records  as  drop-kickers  there  were  in  later  years 
many  games  lost  for  want  of  a  reliable  drop- 
kicker.  The  writer  can  well  remember  the  games 
between  Yale  and  Harvard  in  1897  and  1899 
both  of  which  resulted  in  0-0  ties,  because  Har- 
vard missed  easy  chances  for  field  goals  in  each 
game.  He  can  also  recall  even  more  vividly 
Kennard's  goal  from  the  field  in  the  Yale-Har- 
vard game  of  1908  which  was  the  only  score  of 
the  game. 

As  has  already  been  stated  the  rules  of 
1910-11,  under  which  scoring  by  rushing  was  all 
but  prohibitive,  acted  as  an  incentive  to  the  drop- 
kick  which  reached  its  climax  in  the  perform- 
ances of  Brickley  in  1912-13.  Although  his 
record  was  extraordinary  yet  it  was  somewhat 
magnified  by  the  fact  that  in  those  days  the  per- 

[79] 


Plate  XXII.    THE  ELUSIVE 
PIGSKIN 

(a) 

IN  attempting  to  rush  from  their  own  twenty 
yard  line,  the  offense  (playing  from  left  to 
right)  fumbled  the  ball,  which  it  would  seem 

'  (in  the  top  picture)  was  about  to  be  recovered 
by  either  of  the  offensive  players  who  are  near- 
est it, 

(b) 

BOTH  dived  for  it  at  the  same  time  and  in  so 
doing  interfered  with  each  other  so  that  the 
ball  eluded  them  and  bounced  merrily  back- 
wards toward  their  goal  line,  with  four  defen- 
sive players  (Y)  hot  upon  its  trail  (see  mid- 
dle picture).  Note  also  a  burly  form  (black 
arrow)  which  happens  to  be  the  offensive  left 
guard,  sitting  on  the  groumd, 

(c) 
THE  bottom  picture,  snapped  perhaps  a  second 
later,  shows  one  of  the  defense  actually  reach- 
ing for  the  ball,  with  the  other  three  rapidly 
approaching.  The  burly  form  appears  to  be 
leisurely  rising  from  his  sitting  posture.  But 
history  relates  that  in  spite  of  repeated  and 
frantic  efforts  by  all  four  of  the  defence  to 
pick  up  the  ball,  it  remained  free  from  their 
grasp  and  continued  its  elusive  antics  until  the 
burly  form  (referred  to  above)  pounced  on  it 
at  a  point  some  ten  yards  distant  from  where 
he  is  last  portrayed. 

Harvard  vs,  Yale  1921. 
[80] 


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[81] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

sistent  use  of  the  drop-kick  as  a  means  of  scor- 
ing was  somewhat  of  an  innovation.  Nowadays 
most  teams  have  drop-kickers,  either  as  regulars 
or  as  substitutes,  all  of  whom  are  remarkably 
consistent  in  their  performances. 

The  drop-kick  taken  in  conjunction  with  the 
beautiful  forward  passes  or  rushes  which  ensue 
from  a  threatened  kick  are  today  an  integral 
part  of  every  well-devised  offense. 

How  well  the  rule  makers  did  their  work  in 
1912  may  be  better  appreciated  by  the  state- 
ment that  with  minor  exceptions  no  changes  have 
been  necessary  since  that  time.  The  mere  fact 
that  the  principal  rules  have  remained  unchanged 
has  had  an  enormous  effect,  not  only  in  popu- 
larizing, but  also  in  standardizing  the  game. 
Whereas  a  dozen  years  ago  the  large  stadia  at 
Harvard  and  elsewhere  were  filled  only  on  the 
occasions  of  championship  games,  it  is  a  question 
now  how  to  accommodate  the  enormous  crowds 
which  swarm  to  their  fields  on  each  succeeding 
Saturday.  The  increase  in  popularity  of  the 
game  is  due  to  two  causes. 

First,  the  small  colleges,  orgtl^se  which  here- 

to--'  •- 
tofore  had  not  been  promirf^tSin  football,  in 

many  cases  have  obtained  thG^'Jcj^ices  of  a  com- 

[82]  : 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  OFFENSE  AND  DEFENSE 

petent  coach,  so  versed  in  the  proper  principles 
and  methods  of  play  as  to  develop  a  team  as 
good,  and  better  than  many  of  the  so-called 
leading  colleges.  Thus,  the  mid-season  games 
between  large  and  small  colleges  often  develop 
into  close  contests  which  not  infrequently  end 
with  the  defeat  of  the  larger  college.  The  old 
days,  when  it  was  a  disgrace  to  be  scored  upon, 
or  even  to  lose  a  game,  are  gone.  Accordingly, 
the  very  evenness  of  the  contest  is  pleasing  to 
the  spectators. 

Second,  by  far  the  most  popular  feature  of  to- 
day's game  is  the  frequency  and  increased  skill 
in  the  use  of  the  forward  pass.  So  potent  a  fac- 
tor is  it  that  already  protests  are  heard  that  it 
should  be  curbed  in  some  degree.  Yet,  from  the 
spectator's  point  of  view,  its  use  has  opened  the 
game  enormously.  People  can  really  see  what 
is  going  on,  and  because  of  its  long  gaining  qual- 
ities, it  adds  greatly  to  the  excitement. 

The  standardization  of  the  game  has  given 
coaches  throughout  the  country  time  to  distin- 
guish between  sound  and  unsound  methods  of 
play,  the  result  being  that  very  little  bad  strat- 
egy is  consistently  pursued  at  any  of  the  col- 
leges.    The  good  coaches  are  content  to  perfect 

[83] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

the  known  qualities  of  offense  and  defense,  rather 
than  attempt  to  "upset  the  apple-cart"  by  some 
untried  method  of  attack. 

The  most  radical  departure  from  the  beaten 
path  occurred  during  1914,  at  Yale,  when  an 
adaptation  of  the  Canadian  or  Rugby  principle 
of  the  lateral  ^ass  was  introduced.  Until  the 
final  game  was  played,  this  system  of  attack 
swept  the  defense  off  their  feet,  but  Harvard 
devised  a  defense  wherein  only  four  men  were 
stationed  on  the  line  of  scrimmage,  the  other 
seven  being  so  placed  as  to  cope  not  only  with 
the  lateral  but  forward  passes  which  had  baffled 
Yale's  other  opponents.  In  spite  of  suffering 
a  36-0  defeat,  Yale  on  two  ojccasions  had  the  ball 
within  Harvard's  five-yard  line,  proving  the  un- 
usual ground-gaining  qualities  of  this  scheme 
of  attack. 

'Contributory  to  a  better  calibre  of  play  is  the 
fact  that,  allowing  for  three  years  of  sdhool 
experience,  there  have  been  three  football  gen- 
erations, all  playing  under  the  same  set  of  rules, 
the  result  being  that  the  incoming  varsity  players 
have  far  better  groundwork  and  higher  tech- 
nique than  ever  before.  Furthermore,  the  pres- 
ent game  calls  for  a  far  more  athletic  type  of 

[84] 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  OFFENSE  AND  DEFENSE 

player  than  in  the  old  days,  because  the  back- 
field  and  the  ends  must  be  adept  in  handling  for- 
ward passes,  and  the  other  linemen  are  called 
upon  to  cover  more  territory  than  heretofore. 
Hence,  the  two-hundred  pound  fat  boy  is  fast 
disappearing,  and  in  his  place  appear  strong, 
versatile  athletes  who  must  of  all  things  be  pos- 
sessed with  that  quality  best  described  as  ability 
to  handle  themselves  with  dexterity  and  even 
grace. 

Coincident  with  the  increase  in  skill  of  coach 
and  player,  there  has  developed  a  competent 
corps  of  officials  who  have  also  greatly  benefited 
by  the  continuance  of  the  same  rules.  No  one 
factor  has  done  more  for  the  game  than  these 
fearless,  fair-minded  officials.  They  have  im- 
posed law  and  order  upon  the  game,  not  only 
by  virtue  of  their  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
rules,  but  also  by  their  dominant  personality  on 
the  field  of  play. 

From  a  scholastic  view-point,  a  great  major- 
ity of  colleges  bar  from  varsity  athletics  those  stu- 
dents who  are  on  probation,  or  delinquent  in  any 
of  their  duties  toward  the  college  office.  Closely 
allied  to  this  rule  is  the  one  year  resident  rule, 
which  bars  not  only  freshmen,  but  those  who  have 

[85] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

transferred  from  other  colleges.  These  rules 
should  be  adopted  by  all  institutions  of  learn- 
ing. Certain  universities  also  debar  those  stu- 
dents who  are  enrolled  in  any  of  the  so-called 
graduate  departments,  leaving  eligible  for  var- 
sity teams  only  sophomores,  juniors,  and  seniors 
of  the  Academic  Department.  Many  people 
are  deceived  by  the  total  enrollment  of  a  college, 
as  to  the  number  of  men  who  are  actually  eligible 
to  represent  it  in  athletics.  Thus,  Harvard  with 
over  5000  students  has  between  fifteen  and  six- 
teen hundred  eligible  for  varsity  teams.  Yale, 
with  less  total  enrollment,  has  about  the  same 
number,  while  Princeton,  with  a  much  smaller 
body,  has  between  thirteen  and  fourteen  hundred 
students  from  which  to  choose.  On  the  other 
hand,  Cornell  has  over  four  thousand  students 
eligible  for  varsity  teams,  and  some  of  the  west- 
ern colleges  even  a  greater  number. 

Although  there  is  no  universal  code  of  eligibil- 
ity rules  for  all  and  a  consequent  inequality  of 
standards  between  various  colleges,  yet  there  is 
a  marked  improvement  in  the  ethical  code  of  ath- 
letics in  all  colleges  and  schools  throughout  the 
country.  On  the  whole,  then,  although  there  is 
still  a  tendency  at  certain  institutions  of  learn- 

[86] 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  OFFENSE  AND  DEFENSE 

ing  to  capitalize  football  for  commercial  and 
publicity  purposes,  yet  politically,  ethically  and 
athletically,  the  game  is  at  present  conducted 
upon  sane  and  sound  principles,  destined  to  be 
maintained  for  many  years  to  come. 


[87] 


Ill 

PRE-SEASON  PREPARATION 

FOR  FORTY  YEARS  Germany  plan- 
ned her  attack  on  France,  convinced 
that  as  a  result  of  her  careful  prepara- 
tions she  could  crush  her  adversary  within  a  few 
months.  Not  only  did  she  mobilize  in  an  in- 
credibly short  space  of  time  a  vastly  superior 
nimiber  of  troops  and  equipment,  but  her  strat- 
egy, based  on  illegal  tactics,  i.  e.,  the  invasion 
of  neutral  Belgium,  gave  her  through  the  ele- 
ment of  surprise  the  tremendous  advantage  of 
the  initiative.  By  these  means  she  all  but  gained 
her  objective,  or  in  football  parlance,  the  goal 
line. 

At  the  larger  universities  one  football  season 
begins  the  day  after  the  last  season  ends.  This 
may  seem  an  exaggerated  statement,  but  few 
people  realize  the  amount  of  preparation  neces- 
sary in  order  to  be  "there"  for  the  final  game  of 
the  season.  This  expression  is  a  term  to  denote 
complete  fitness  and  is  here  used  to  include  the 
[88] 


PRE-SEASON  PREPARATION 

managerial,  as  well  as  the  physical  phases  per- 
taining to  the  .game. 

To  this  end  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
decide  upon  a  head  coach  who  should  at  once 
obtain  complete  data  relative  to  the  past  season 
while  this  information  is  still  fresh  in  the  minds 
of  those  who  have  had  charge.  Only  in  this 
way  may  the  pitfalls  of  the  past  be  properly 
guarded  against  for  the  future.  Treading  upon 
the  heels  of  this  all-important  work  comes  the 
election  of  a  new  captain  and  a  manager,  who  at 
once  undertakes  to  arrange  a  suitable  schedule 
of  games  for  the  following  autumn.  Unless 
older  heads  are  consulted  in  this  matter  serious 
mistakes  may  be  made,  because  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  prospective  playing  strength, 
together  with  the  methods  employed  by  the  pro- 
posed opponents,  must  be  considered  and  bal- 
anced with  the  material  which  will  be  available 
for  the  home  team. 

One  of  the  fine  influences  of  football  and  other 
varsity  sports  upon  all  candidates  is  an  honor  sys- 
tem which  exists  regarding  their  scholastic  stand- 
ing at  the  college  office.  At  all  colleges  and 
schools  of  good  standing  a  student  who  is  de- 
ficient in  his  studies  is  barred  from  representing 

[89] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

his  school  in  all  athletic  endeavors.  Hence,  it 
devolves  upon  the  captains  and  managers  of  the 
various  teams  to  supervise  the  scholastic  work  of 
all  students  who  may  be  of  value  to  their  re- 
spective sports.  When  the  number  of  students 
engaged  in  athletics  is  considered,  these  duties 
of  the  captain  may  appear  to  be  onerous,  but  a 
realization  has  taken  root  among  the  students 
that  to  fail  mentally  at  the  college  office  is  as  dis- 
graceful as  breaking  training  physically.  Thus 
all  students  who  have  the  honor  of  being  "listed" 
for  any  sport  have  an  added  incentive  to  keep  up 
to  the  mark  in  their  college  studies. 

At  some  time  during  each  winter,  representa- 
tives of  the  leading  colleges  meet  for  the  purpose 
of  regulating  the  rules  which  govern  the  game 
of  football.  As  has  been  seen  in  a  former  chap- 
ter, the  game  so  abounds  with  new  methods  of 
play  and  innovations  that  it  i-s  necessary  to  keep 
careful  watch,  lest,  through  the  ingenuity  of 
some  coach,  certain  tactics  be  introduced  which 
would  wreck  the  delicate  balance  of  strength  be- 
tween the  offense  and  defense. 

It  is  amazing  how  many  carefully  worded  rules 
are  required  to  cope  with  the  exigencies  of  the 
game.     A  perusal  of  the  Rule  Book  will  confirm 

[90] 


PRE-SEASON  PREPARATION 

this  statement,  but  in  spite  of  the  untiring  efforts 
of  the  Rules  Committee  most  unexpected  things 
have  happened  on  the  field  of  play.  Perhaps  the 
most  peculiar  incident  transpired  twice  on  the 
same  day,  in  two  different  games.  In  each  case, 
the  kicker,  in  attempting  a  drop  kick  from  scrim- 
mage, "half  topped"  the  ball,  which  just  cleared 
the  opposing  scrimmage  lines,  rolled  along  the 
ground  and  then  proceeded  to  bounce  up  and 
over  the  cross-bar  of  the  goal  post.  At  that 
time  there  was  nothing  in  the  rules  which  cov- 
ered such  exotic  behavior  of  the  ball.  So  the 
officials  decided  a  field  goal  had  taken  place, 
which  in  one  case  won  the  game  for  Princeton 
over  Dartmouth  by  a  score  of  3  to  0.  It  is  per- 
haps needless  to  add  that  the  wording  of  the  rule 
has  since  been  changed  to  prevent  a  score  result- 
ing from  a  similar  occurrence. 

A  memorable  play,  involving  doubtful  ethics, 
took  place  some  years  ago  in  a  game  between 
Harvard  and  the  Carlisle  Indians.  Carlisle  re- 
ceived the  kick-off  and  the  whole  team  gathered 
about  the  player  who  caught  the  ball.  Behind 
this  screen  the  ball  was  quickly  tucked  under  a 
jersey,  fitted  with  elastic  bands  for  the  purpose, 
on  the  back  of  another  player.     The  group  then 

[91] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

scattered,  and  the  man  carried  the  concealed 
ball  unmolested  through  the  entire  Harvard 
team  for  a  touchdown. 

To  show  to  what  extremes  unscrupulous 
coaches  will  go,  the  following  incident  which  act- 
ually took  place  during  a  game  will  suffice.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  second  half,  the  team  whose 
turn  it  was  to  receive  the  kick-off  took  position 
with  only  ten  men  in  uniform.  The  eleventh 
player,  dressed  in  civilian  attire,  which  included 
derby  hat  and  pipe,  was  naturally  not  observed 
by  opponents  or  officials,  as  he  casually  paced  up 
and  down  the  sidelines.  After  the  kick-off  was 
run  back,  on  the  first  play  from  scrimmage,  a 
forward  pass  was  thrown  to  this  individual,  who 
meanwhile  had  stepped  within  the  field  of  play 
and  thus  complied  with  all  the  requisites  of  the 
rules.  Being  totally  unaware  of  his  presence  as 
a  player,  the  defense  naturally  left  unprotected 
the  territory  in  his  vicinity,  with  the  result  that 
he  ran  some  forty  yards  before  he  was  overtaken 
by  one  of  the  unsuspecting  defense.  He  then 
doffed  his  hat  and  pipe,  stripped  off  his  civilian 
clothing,  and  emerged  in  the  regular  uniform  of 
his  team. 

[92] 


PRE-SEASON  PREPARATION 

Through  a  subsidiary  of  the  Rules  Committee, 
called  the  Central  Board,  officials  are  furnished 
for  practically  all  the  important  games,  thus  sav- 
ing an  enormous  amount  of  work  for  the  various 
colleges  involved,  to  say  nothing  of  avoiding 
petty  wrangles  between  narrow-minded  coaches. 
All  told,  then,  the  work  and  influence  of  the 
rule  makers  is  of  inestimable  value  to  the  proper 
and  efficient  conduct  of  the  game. 

In  the  spring,  then,  the  coach  finds  himself 
with  a  set  of  rules  already  established,  and  a 
series  of  games  arranged  with  suitable  officials 
for  each.  The  next  question  is  who  are  going  to 
play  on  the  various  teams,  who  are  to  act  as  as- 
sistant coaches  and  upon  what  lines  is  the  cam- 
paign to  be  conducted. 

The  value  of  spring  practice  is  a  much-mooted 
question.  At  small  colleges  and  schools,  where 
the  number  of  candidates  is  small  and  a  sufficient 
number  of  coaches  is  lacking,  it  is  questionable 
if  any  marked  advantage  accrues;  but  at  the 
larger  colleges  where  from  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  candidates  report,  spring  prac- 
tice is  an  annual  custom.  Briefly,  the  objects 
are: — 

[93] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

1.  To  familiarize  players  with  the  rules  and 
fundamentals  of  the  game,  and  with  the  func- 
tions of  the  individual. 

2.  To  acquaint  the  coaches  with  the  ability  and 
character  of  the  material  at  hand, 

3.  To  experiment  with  whatever  offensive  and 
defensive  theories  the  coaches  deem  worthy  of 
consideration. 

Spring  practice  usually  lasts  from  three  weeks 
to  a  month,  and  the  results  accomplished  are: — 

1.  Added  experience  for  the  players  and  an 
opportunity  for  the  incoming  management  to 
familiarize  themselves  with  their  various  duties. 

2.  Grading  of  material,  which  is  of  great  value 
when  the  season  proper  begins  in  the  autumn. 

3.  Thorough  conviction  by  the  coaches  that 
the  great  majority  of  plays  which  appear  effec- 
tive on  paper  are  in  practice  fit  only  for  the  ash- 
barrel. 

During  the  summer  months  it  is  hard  to  con- 
tinue concerted  action,  but  the  head  coach  is  al- 
ways a  busy  man  during  this  period.  It  is  al- 
ways extremely  difficult  to  obtain  voluntary 
coaches  for  the  first  part  of  the  season.  The 
"loyal  graduate"  will  gladly  lend  his  assistance 
just  prior  to  the  final  games,  but  he  is  of  far 

[94] 


PRE-SEASON  PREPARATION 

greater  value  during  the  early  stages  of  develop- 
ment. In  impressing  this  fact  on  the  men  whom 
he  wants,  the  coach  must  show  great  tact  and 
much  perseverance. 

His  greatest  task,  however,  lies  in  sorting  data 
relative  to  offensive  and  defensive  methods  which 
he  has  accumulated  from  time  to  time  from  vari- 
ous sources  of  information.  This  work  requires 
a  vast  amount  of  time  and  logical  thinking;  but 
the  wise  coach  will  determine  upon  his  offensive 
and  defensive  plays  at  this  time,  when  his  judg- 
ment is  clear  and  untrammeled  by  the  many  sug- 
gestions which  will  always  be  offered  during  the 
heat  of  the  season. 

For  example,  there  is  always  the  much-mooted 
question  whether  a  quarterback  should  play  in 
his  regular  position,  linked  to  the  center  rush, 
or  as  one  of  the  halfbacks  in  a  so-called  four-man 
backfielde  There  have  always  been  two  schools 
of  thought  in  this  matter.  One  objects  to  the 
quarterback's  removal  because  many  clever  plays, 
such  as  a  quick  dive  by  the  quarterback  through 
center,  delayed  plunges,  and  certain  plays  which 
involve  hidden  passes,  can  be  used  only  when  he 
plays  his  regular  position.  Again,  if  the  quar- 
terback is  removed  the  ball  is  no  longer  weaved 

[95] 


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H  e^  f^  [97] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

from  center  through  the  quarterback  and 
handed  into  the  lap  of  the  back  for  his  line 
plunge.  Moreover,  the  man  best  suited  for 
quarterback  seems  to  be  brainy  rather  than 
brawny  and  to  possess  a  personality  which  can- 
not fail  to  impress  his  adversaries,  as  he  stands 
giving  his  signals  above  his  center  and  almost 
upon  the  line  of  his  opponents. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  argued  that  the  backs 
should  be  so  placed  that  at  least  four  are  capable 
of  alternating  in  the  running  attack,  threatening 
a  more  varied  attack  from  a  regular  formation. 
By  this  formation  more  effective  interference  can 
be  brought  to  bear  at  different  points,  and  greater 
weight  is  added  to  the  backfield.  This  school 
of  reasoning  maintains  that  there  is  no  more 
fumbling  under  this  arrangement  than  when  the 
ball  goes  through  the  quarterback;  but  they  fail 
to  recognize  the  terrible  disaster  which  a  mistake 
in  signals  entails.  If  it  so  happens  that  the 
backs  start,  or  the  center  passes  in  the  wrong 
direction,  the  ball  probably  goes  through  the  en- 
tire backfield  and  rolls  merrily  towards  the  offen- 
sive team's  goal  line  with  little  chance  of  recov- 
ery. 

Other  questions  which  may  well  be  decided  at 
[98] 


PRE-SEASON  PREPARATION 

this  time  are: —  Whether  to  play  one  defensive 
player  or  two  in  the  extreme  backfield  to  handle 
punts.  The  employment  of  two  men  lessens  the 
danger  of  losing  the  ball,  but  at  the  same  time 
weakens  the  second  line  of  defense.  Shall  the 
defensive  ends  sacrifice  themselves  to  break  up  the 
interference  well  back  of  the  line  of  scrimmage, 
or  shall  they  keep  their  feet,  merely  hamper  the 
speed  of  the  play,  and  endeavor  themselves  to 
tackle  the  runner?  Shall  the  defensive  forma- 
tit)ns  of  the  team  be  ordered  by  signal  or  left  to 
the  application  of  a  few  general  rules? 

These  considerations  merely  indicate  how  much 
preliminary  spade-work  must  be  done;  and  can 
best  be  done  in  the  sunmier.  When  the  season 
begins,  the  wise  coach  has  already  decided  on  a 
definite  outline  of  his  entire  autumn  campaign. 


[99] 


IV 
THE  CAMPAIGN 

THE  FOOTBALL  season  proper  is  a 
race  against  time.  Its  duration  is  ap- 
proximately ten  weeks,  but  allowing  for 
seven  or  eight  games  there  remains  only  time 
enough  for  some  fifty  practice  sessions,  which 
average  not  over  two  hours  daily.  It  follows 
that  the  total  time  allowed  a  coach  to  carry  out 
his  program  of  preparation  is  roughly  one  hun- 
dred hours. 

The  training  of  a  varsity  crew,  which  involves 
autumn  practice  as  well  as  three  to  four  months' 
trial  in  the  spring,  resolves  itself  into  teaching 
eight  men  to  perform  the  same  thing  some  seven 
hundred  times  (for  a  four-mile  race)  at  the 
same  time  and  in  the  same  way.  The  author 
fully  appreciates  the  difficulties  which  beset  the 
crew  coach,  but  in  contrast  to  the  comparatively 
simple  program  of  the  crew  let  us  consider  the 
problem  of  teaching  a  varsity  football  team. 
Thirty  or  forty  players  must  be  taught  to  exe- 
[100] 


THE  CAMPAIGN 

cute  between  twenty  and  thirty  different  offen- 
sive maneuvers  most  of  which  may  be  run  from 
three  to  five  different  formations,  in  which  each 
player  does  something  different  in  each  play. 
The  program  is  further  complicated  by  a  plan 
of  defense  which  entails  from  four  to  seven  sep- 
arate team  formations  in  which  the  duties  of  the 
various  individuals  differ  radically.  Moreover, 
during  the  course  of  the  season  both  offensive 
and  defensive  assignments  are  often  changed  in 
order  to  meet  the  varying  styles  of  play  of  the 
different  opponents  encountered.  However,  the 
crux  of  a  course  in  football  lies  in  drilling  a  team 
so  intensively  in  the  theory  of  tactics  that  each 
individual  will  instinctively  select  the  correct 
move  at  the  right  time  according  to  the  existing 
circumstances. 

What,  then,  is  the  best  procedure  to  accomplish 
these  results  in  ten  short  weeks?  Mention  has 
been  made  of  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  volun- 
tary coaches  for  the  outset  of  the  season.  Many 
and  competent  men  are  needed  at  this  time  to  as- 
sist in  sorting  and  grading  the  material,  which  at 
the  larger  colleges  often  numbers  one  hundred 
and  fifty  candidates. 

That  there  may  be  no  conflict  of  ideas  among 

[101] 


^    FbOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

the  coaches,  regular  meetings  are  held  throughout 
the  season,  for  purposes  of  discussion  and  instruc- 
tion by  the  head  coach.  An  eminent  football 
strategist  once  said  that  forty  percent,  of  the  ef- 
fectiveness of  a  certain  Harvard  team  was  due 
to  the  proper  coaching  of  the  coaches.  This  is 
not  obtained  without  protracted  discussions  and 
heated  arguments,  but  with  the  observance  of 
certain  parliamentary  decorum  which  all  sensible 
coaches  respect.  The  author  attended  one  foot- 
ball session  which  lasted  from  seven  p.  m.,  until 
two  A.  M.  Adjournment  then  took  place  until 
ten  A.  M.  next  day,  when  the  meeting  continued 
until  eleven  o'clock  that  night.  During  that  time 
there  was  no  deviation  from  the  subject  of  "offen- 
sive line  methods."  As  a  result  of  the  delibera- 
tions certain  decisions  were  reached  which  had  a 
marked  bearing  on  the  successes  of  Harvard 
teams  for  many  years. 

A  coaching  corps  being  organized,  the  next 
step  is  to  get  the  candidates  into  such  physical 
condition  that  they  can  stand  the  wear  and  tear 
of  daily  scrimmages.  This  stage  may  be  termed 
the  period  of  the  individual,  because  all  effort  is 
directed  toward  drilling  each  player  in  the  art 
of  quick  starting,  handling  and  falling  on  the 

[102] 


THE  CAMPAIGN 

ball,  tackling,  interfering,  blocking  and  break- 
ing through  for  the  linemen,  kicking  and  passing 
for  the  backs  and  ends. 

Gradually  a  semblance  of  team  play  emerges 
from  this  chaos.  The  quarterbacks  and  centers 
link  together,  and  combine  with  a  backfield.  Fi- 
nally, a  team  is  completed  by  the  addition  of  a  set 
of  linemen.  These  impromptu  elevens  are  fur- 
nished with  simple  signals  and  a  sufficient  number 
of  plays  to  indulge  finally  in  short  scrimmages 
with  each  other.  After  a  thorough  try-out  of  all 
candidates  in  the  fundamentals  and  simpler  forms 
of  team  evolutions,  the  material  is  divided  tenta- 
tively into  varsity  and  second  squads.  The  men, 
retained  in  the  former  group  number  about  forty 
players,  consisting  of  three  centers,  six  guards, 
six  tackles,  eight  ends,  four  quarterbacks,  and 
twelve  other  backs.  In  this  way  three  complete 
elevens  can  practice  separately,  with  a  fourth 
"skeleton  team"  left  over, — a  quarterback,  three 
backs,  and  two  ends,  with  perhaps  an  assistant 
manager  to  act  as  center.  The  objects  of  re- 
taining so  many  men  on  the  first  squad  are,  first, 
because  sickness  and  injuries  make  serious  inroads 
into  the  ranks  when  hard  scrimmages  and  games 
begin,  and,  second,  because  frequent  substitution 

[103] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

is  necessary,  both  for  the  physical  welfare  of  the 
men  and  in  order  that  the  coaches  may  judge  of 
the  ability  of  all  of  the  players.  Moreover,  this 
plan  maintains  keen  competition  throughout  the 
season. 

The  second  squad  is  organized  along  similar 
hnes,  having  its  own  coaches,  signals,  and  plays, 
and  a  separate  schedule  of  games.  In  order  that 
no  player  of  promise  shall  be  overlooked  the  sec- 
ond squad  is  kept  intact  throughout  the  season. 
It  is  divided  into  teams  A  and  B,  each  having 
a  full  set  of  substitutes  for  each  position.  Al- 
though there  are  constant  changes  in  the  person- 
nel, the  total  roster  will  probably  average  fifty 
players.  Besides  the  varsity  squad  and  the  sec- 
ond squad  there  is  also  a  freshman  squad,  which 
starts  the  season  with  practically  the  whole  fresh- 
man class  as  candidates  and  is  gradually  reduced 
to  about  fifty  men,  organized  on  the  same  lines 
as  the  varsity  and  second  squads.  The  sum  total 
of  the  three  units  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  who  are  actively  engaged  in  football 
throughout  the  entire  season.  The  coaching 
policy  of  all  three  squads  should  be  under  the 
supervision  of  the  head  coach. 

Not  infrequently  a  player  who  shows  unex- 

[104] 


THE  CAMPAIGN 

pected  ability  is  promoted  from  the  "scrubs"  to 
the  varsity  squad.  It  often  happens  that  some 
players  "show"  well  at  first,  but  cannot  stand  the 
mental  and  physical  strain  of  the  season.  Others 
flourish  on  hard  work  and  seem  to  possess  the 
ability  to  perform  at  their  best  when  under  stress. 
It  therefore  behooves  the  coach  to  study  con- 
stantly the  characteristics  and  personalities  of  the 
candidates.  In  some  cases,  if  a  player  is  of  rec- 
ognized skill,  it  is  well  to  treat  him  leniently  and 
to  encourage  him,  in  order  to  instill  and  maintain 
self-confidence.  In  utter  contrast,  others  have  to 
be  driven  at  all  times  to  bring  out  their  latent  pos- 
sibilities. It  is  only  by  thus  differentiating  the 
treatment  of  individuals  that  the  best  is  obtained 
from  all.  Herein  lies  a  subtle  factor  which  often 
makes  or  breaks  a  football  team. 

As  in  the  training  of  all  other  groups  of  hu- 
man beings  for  any  concerted  action,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  establish  and  maintain  strict  discipline 
among  football  players  throughout  the  whole 
season.  This  not  only  applies  to  punctuality  and 
a  close  observance  of  training  rules,  but  also  to 
the  ingraining  into  each  player  of  instantaneous 
and  instinctive  obedience  to  the  word  of  command. 
These  two  adjectives  have  a  distinct  bearing  on 

[105] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

offensive  team  maneuvers.  It  is  comparatively 
easy  to  teach  a  team  to  start  in  unison  at  the  snap 
of  the  ball,  or,  if  a  starting  signal  is  used,  on  the 
proper  number;  but  it  takes  weeks  of  intensive 
rehearsing  to  reach  a  stage  of  development  where 
each  player  performs  his  various  assignments 
subconsciously.  This  asset  is  of  particular  value 
in  the  final  games  of  the  season  when  the  atmos- 
phere of  excitement  and  noise  of  the  cheering 
tend  to  distract  the  player's  attention  and  when 
physical  exhaustion  dulls  his  brain  and  prevents 
quick  reflexes.  If,  however,  the  subconscious 
mind  has  been  sufiiciently  impressed  by  previous 
training,  it  will  respond  instinctively,  with  na- 
tural speed  and  precision.  For  example,  players 
have  been  known  to  have  no  recollection  of  the 
last  part  of  a  bitterly  contested  game,  yet  they 
played  in  perfect  form  until  the  final  whistle 
blew.  Again,  a  player  is  sometimes  struck  on 
the  head,  sustaining  a  mild  concussion;  and  al- 
though he  is  unable  to  answer  simple  questions 
which  do  not  pertain  to  his  immediate  duties  his 
subconscious  mind  holds  him  to  a  surprisingly 
accurate  execution  of  his  various  tasks. 

A  dress-parade  by  the  cadets  at  West  Point  is 
the  most  perfect  co-ordination  of  human  units 

[106] 


THE  CAMPAIGN 

the  author  has  ever  witnessed.  The  complicated 
maneuvers  are  executed  with  such  precision  that 
the  eye  can  scarcely  discern  that  the  battalion  is 
composed  of  human  individuals ;  yet,  upon  being 
questioned  as  to  the  amount  of  work  necessary 
to  obtain  such  perfection,  a  cadet  answered, 
"Yes,  we  have  to  drill  a  good  deal  to  get  every- 
thing just  right;  but  I  am  now  so  used  to  the 
various  moves  and  commands  that  I  spend  my 
time  during  dress-parade  rehearsing  my  part  in 
the  play  we  are  giving  next  month."  So  the 
football  player  must  learn  his  tasks  so  thoroughly 
as  to  perform  them  subconsciously.  This  leaves 
his  conscious  mind  free  to  cope  with  the  unfore- 
seen exigencies  which  occur  constantly  during  a 
game. 

Because  of  the  short  time  in  which  so  much 
must  be  learned,  there  is  grave  danger  that  the 
players  may  be  given  more  than  they  can  assim- 
ilate. The  coach,  who  has  probably  had  years  of 
experience  in  studying  as  well  as  playing  the 
game,  is  apt  to  assume  that  the  players  know 
more  than  they  do.  Until  they  are  thoroughly 
versed  in  their  assignments  by  repeated  perform- 
ance, they  may  know  perfectly  in  theory  what 
they  should  do  under  certain  conditions,  but  fail 

[107] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

in  their  efforts  to  put  into  effect  what  they  have 
been  taught.  Moreover,  the  fact  that  all  candi- 
dates are  working  under  great  pressure  which 
often  causes  them  to  "lose  their  heads"  must  al- 
ways be  kept  in  mind. 

The  author  can  vividly  recollect  an  incident 
which  occurred  at  Cambridge  in  1908  during  a 
practice  scrimmage  between  the  first  and  second 
elevens.  It  so  happened  that  a  certain  man,  who 
had  been  playing  regularly  for  the  previous 
month  with  the  second  team,  had  that  day  been 
promoted  to  the  varsity  squad.  That  the  two 
teams  might  be  more  easily  distinguished,  it  was 
the  custom  for  the  first  team  to  wear  red  jerseys, 
and  the  second  black.  During  a  hot  scrimmage 
the  ball  was  fumbled  and  bounced  directly  into 
the  arms  of  the  player  in  question.  Seeing  the 
abhorrent  red  jerseys  about  him,  he  instinctively 
fled  from  them,  straight  for  his  own  goal  posts. 
The  black- jerseyed  team,  recognizing  his  mis- 
take, promptly  became  his  ardent  interferers. 
His  own  team-mates,  as  soon  as  they  recovered 
their  senses,  vainly  tried  to  tackle  him;  but  by 
this  time  the  black  interferers  had  formed  such 
a  perfect  cordon  about  him  that  not  a  single  com- 
rade reached  him  until  he  fell  exhausted  between 

[108] 


THE  CAMPAIGN 

his  own  goal  posts,  scoring  a  safety  against  his 
own  team.  Yet  that  same  player  later  in  his 
college  career  made  the  varsity  team. 

The  coach  and  spectators  must  also  realize 
that  their  viewpoint  from  the  sidelines  is  far  more 
comprehensive  than  the  player's  in  the  heat  of 
strife.  To  illustrate: —  One  of  Harvard's  op- 
ponents in  the  early  part  of  the  season  scored  a 
touchdown  by  a  play  which  started  like  an  end 
run.  The  ball  was  "slipped"  to  another  of  the 
runner's  side,  who  then  made  a  long,  diagonal 
forward  pass  in  a  direction  opposite  from  which 
the  play  had  started.  The  Harvard  backfield 
was  outwitted  completely  and  the  receiver  crossed 
the  goal  line  unmolested.  That  the  episode 
might  remain  vividly  impressed  upon  the  Harv- 
ard team,  the  author  asked  each  player  to  dia- 
gram the  play  as  it  had  appeared  to  him.  Not 
a  single  man  diagnosed  the  play  correctly,  nor 
had  many  of  them  the  slightest  conception  of  its 
details.  But  later  in  the  season  that  same  team, 
after  the  play  had  been  explained  and  they  had 
received  instructions  in  the  proper  defensive 
methods  against  it,  foiled  two  attempts  of  the 
same  play  by  different  opponents. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  fact  that  often- 

[109] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

times  players  are  fed  information  faster  than 
they  can  digest  it.  From  the  experience  just 
related,  the  author  next  tried  the  experiment  of 
requiring  all  players  on  the  squad  to  diagram 
all  the  plays  which  the  team  was  then  using. 
The  results  were  again  disappointing.  A  great 
majority  knew  their  own  duties  in  the  various 
plays,  but  only  the  captain  and  two  quarterbacks 
drew  the  correct  assignments  of  players  other 
than  themselves.  It  is  not  essential  that  a  given 
play  should  be  as  thoroughly  known  as  this  ex- 
amination required,  but  far  greater  interest,  with 
corresponding  perfection  of  technique,  is  aroused 
among  the  players  if  the  subject  is  thus  studied 
in  all  its  details. 

Should  the  spectator  peep  into  the  notebook  of 
a  football  coach,  he  might  find  a  schedule  of  a 
day's  practice,  as  follows: 

Tuesday,  October  12.     Squad  assembled  at 
3.30  dressed  in  uniform. 
3.30  to  3.50,  Blackboard  demonstration. 

a.  Additional  plays  No.  14  and  15  diagrammed 
and  explained. 

b.  Change  in  assignments  of  plays  No.  5  and 

6  diagrammed  and  explained. 

[110] 


THE  CAMPAIGN 

c.  Outline  and  theory  of  defense  vs.  "shift 
plays." 
3.50  to  4.00,  Squad  at  tackling  dummy. 

Three  tackles  per  man,  right,  left  and  head  on. 
Accent  on  the  man  "beyond." 
4.00  to  4.15,  Practice  at  a  walk  additional  plays 

and  change  of  assignments. 
4.15  to  4.30,  Offensive  and  defensive  assign- 
ments of  punt  and  drop  kick. 
4.30  to  5.00,  Scrimmage  teams  A  vs.  B.     Accent 

on  new  plays  and  assignments. 
5.00  to  5.30,  Scrimmage  team  C.  vs.  second  team. 

Accent  on  defenses  4  and  5. 

The  nature  of  practice  varies  greatly  from  day 
to  day.  If  there  has  been  a  hard  game  on  a 
Saturday,  the  following  Monday  is  usually  de- 
voted to  correcting  the  mistakes  made  during  the 
game,  with  perhaps  a  part  of  the  afternoon  spent 
in  coaching  the  individual.  Tuesdays  and  Thurs- 
days are  the  best  for  hard  scrimmage.  On  Wed- 
nesdays the  great  portion  of  the  time  may  be 
spent  on  kicking  and  forward  passing.  Fridays 
are  taken  up  with  a  thorough  signal  drill  and  a 
sort  of  dress  rehearsal  for  the  game  on  the  follow- 
ing day. 

[Ill] 


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[113] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  schedule  of  games 
is  arranged  with  respect  to  the  playing  strength 
and  methods  employed  by  the  various  opponents. 
Emphasis  should  be  made  of  the  fact  that  the 
preliminary  games  are  considered  by  the  coaches 
as  merely  the  best  means  of  developing  a  team 
for  its  so-called  "championship"  contests.  The 
winning  of  these  games  is  of  secondary  impor- 
tance. In  this  respect,  a  great  deal  of  misunder- 
standing exists  regarding  the  performance  of 
the  larger  college  teams  in  their  practice  games. 
It  has  been  found  good  policy  to  play  more 
evenly  contested  practice  games  than  heretofore. 
For  several  reasons  this  course  greatly  handicaps 
the  larger  colleges.  First,  with  a  large  squad 
much  more  time  is  required  to  separate  the  wheat 
from  the  chaff.  Second,  the  great  emphasis  laid 
on  coaching  the  individual  retards  the  develop- 
ment of  team  play.  Even  in  mid-season  an  im- 
portant team  may  find  itself  with  a  defense  de- 
veloped only  sufficiently  to  cope  with  a  simple 
type  of  offense,  and  with  its  complete  offensive 
program  partly  learned  or  kept  in  reserve  for 
final  games. 

As  a  rule,  then,  the  large  college  team  during 
this  period  is  furnished  with  only  that  portion 

[114] 


THE  CAMPAIGN 

of  an  offensive  and  defensive  scheme  which  in 
the  opinion  of  the  coach  will  be  sufficient  to  win, 
in  its  stride  as  it  were,  the  succeeding  prelimin- 
ary games.  In  contrast,  a  small  college,  natur- 
ally wishing  to  make  better  than  a  good  "show- 
ing," against  its  big  brother,  "points"  for  this 
game  by  developing  team  play  early;  plan- 
ning an  offense  replete  with  "long  gainers"  and 
tricks,  and  employing  field  tactics  which  exper- 
ience has  proved  to  involve  great  risks  but  which 
may  sporadically  produce  good  results.  In 
other  words,  with  everything  to  win  and  nothing 
to  lose,  the  small  college  often  upsets  the  apple- 
cart. 

Under  these  circumstances  responsibility  for 
defeats  in  mid-season  should  be  charged  to  the 
coach,  who  should  admit  this  fact  frankly  to  the 
players.  Overdue  emphasis  is  sometimes  placed 
upon  the  victories  of  small  over  large  colleges. 
Usually  such  a  victory  can  be  traced  to  the  mis- 
calculations by  the  coach  of  the  development  of 
the  two  teams  at  the  date  of  the  game,  and  can 
seldom  be  considered  a  criterion  of  the  final  play- 
ing strength  of  the  respective  elevens. 

In  the  closing  weeks  of  the  season  all  football 
camps  resemble  a  colony  of  ants.     Everywhere 

[115] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

there  is  apparently  a  great  deal  of  needless  bustle 
and  running  about,  but  arrangements  for  big 
games  require  a  deal  of  preparation.  Extra 
grandstands  must  be  built  and  tickets  allotted  to 
a  demand  far  greater  than  the  supply.  There 
are  mass  meetings  where  unbounded  enthusiasm 
is  ever  present.  Transportation  and  housing 
facilities  have  to  be  improvised  for  the  horde  of 
spectators.  Within  the  enclosure  where  secret 
practice  is  held,  although  all  are  somewhat  af- 
fected by  the  atmosphere  of  excitement,  perfect 
order  and  a  determined  singleness  of  purpose 
prevail.  Coaches  and  players  are  now  so 
thoroughly  organized  that  a  general  "speeding 
up"  of  operations  takes  place.  All  concerned 
plainly  show  the  mental  and  physical  stress  of 
the  campaign,  but  a  bond  of  sympathy  is  aroused 
wherein  the  power  of  the  will  predominates. 
All  gloom  is  discarded,  and  in  place  of  joy  the 
mental  attitude  of  the  players  is  poised  between 
full  recognition  of  the  enemy's  strength  and  a 
grim  determination  to  win.  Esprit  de  corps  dis- 
places discipline,  and  masters  and  pupils  now 
form  a  brotherhood,  working  with  one  accord  for 
a  great  cause. 

In  such  an  environment,  it  is  amazing  how 

[116] 


THE  CAMPAIGN 

quickly  a  team  will  develop.  All  groundwork 
which  has  been  practised  so  patiently  in  early  sea- 
son now  forms  a  visible  foundation  upon  which  is 
constructed  the  finesse  of  team  play.  Each  in- 
dividual player,  now  become  a  veteran,  fits 
snugly  into  each  offensive  and  defensive  move; 
and  the  whole  team,  realizing  of  a  sudden  its 
completeness  and  strength,  resembles  a  beauti- 
ful animal  tugging  at  its  leash,  mentally  alert, 
lean  of  body,  and  possessed  of  an  indomitable 
spirit  to  reach  its  objective. 


[117] 


MEDICAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  GAME 

TIME  OUT,"  yells  the  referee  as  twenty- 
one  players  untangle  themselves  from  a 
seething,  struggling  mass  of  humanity. 
The  twenty-second  man  lies  flat  on  the  ground, 
to  all  outward  appearances  dead,  while  one  of 
his  team-mates  tries  to  loosen  his  head  guard 
and  apply  first  aid.  By  this  time  the  doctor  is 
on  the  field.  He  takes  one  look  at  the  player 
and  returns  to  the  side  line,  where  he  says  to  the 
head  coach,  "He  is  all  right."  The  player 
meanwhile  is  still  flat  on  his  back,  apparently 
just  as  dead  as  ever.  You  can  hear  the 
people  in  the  stands  saying,  "He  looks  badly 
hurt.  I  wonder  who  will  take  his  place?"  The 
whistle  blows.  The  man  is  on  his  feet  and  ready 
to  resume  play.  What  has  happened?  How 
did  the  doctor  know  that  the  man  could  play? 
It  was  all  over  in  two  minutes. 

Again  the  game  is  stopped  by  the  whistle. 
This  time  our  doctor  is  asking  permission  of  the 
referee  to  go  on  the  field.     Having  obtained  it 

[118] 


MEDICAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  GAME 

he  goes  directly  to  one  man.  To  the  spectators 
nothing  is  wrong  with  this  player  yet  he  is  com- 
ing off  the  field  with  the  doctor — not,  however, 
without  visible  protests.  A  substitute  takes  his 
place  and  the  game  goes  on. 

Later  in  the  game  a  player  is  knocked  down 
by  the  interference.  He  gets  up  limping,  tries 
to  walk,  and  after  a  few  seconds  manages  to 
hobble  around,  although  plainly  showing  that  he 
is  suffering  great  physical  pain.  This  time  the 
doctor  gets  up  from  his  seat,  watches  the  man 
intently  for  a  moment  and  then  returns  to  his 
place.  The  game  is  resumed  and  our  supposedly 
injured  man  shows  no  effects  from  his  recent  in- 
jury. Again  what  has  happened?  The  man 
had  apparently  been  badly  hurt  yet  his  actions 
now  show  that  the  doctor  was  right.  How  did 
he  know  that  the  man  was  not  seriously  injured? 
He  surely  gave  more  outward  signs  than  did  the 
other  player  who  was  removed  from  the  game  for 
no  apparent  cause. 

These  are  but  three  typical  examples  of  hap- 
penings during  a  football  game,  which  every 
spectator  notices  but  in  the  majority  of  cases 
forgets.  What  has  happened  in  each  of  these 
cases? 

[119] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

In  the  first  one  the  man  flat  on  his  back  made 
his  own  diagnosis.  "Just  my  wind.  Doc."  To 
make  sure  that  it  was  not  a  blow  on  the  head  re- 
sulting in  slight  concussion,  a  few  simple  ques- 
tions such  as,  "What  is  the  score"  and  "What 
period  is  it?"  usually  suffice  to  give  an  accurate 
account  of  the  man's  mental  condition.  It  has 
been  observed  many  times  that  the  man  who  can 
tell  what  his  injury  is,  and  does  so,  is  usually  not 
the  man  who  causes  the  doctor  needless  worry 
on  the  field.  It  is  the  player  who  insists  that  he 
is  all  right  and  refuses  to  admit  that  anything 
has  happened  to  him  that  makes  the  doctor's 
work  difficult.  In  the  case  at  hand  previous  ex- 
perience has  taught  that  if  a  player's  wind  is 
knocked  out  the  injury  is  temporarily  very  un- 
comfortable but  is  not  permanently  disabling. 
A  few  minutes'  rest  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  ef- 
fect a  complete  cure. 

In  the  second  case  where  the  man  was  re- 
moved by  the  doctor  for  no  apparent  cause),  if 
you  had  been  watching  the  man  as  closely  as  had 
the  doctor  you  would  have  noticed  that  twice  he 
had  lined  up  in  the  wrong  position  and  each 
time  had  to  be  straightened  out  by  one  of  his 
team-mates.     He  was  confused  when  the  signals 

[120] 


MEDICAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  GAME 

were  given,  and  did  not  carry  out  his  assignments 
during  the  play.  When  the  doctor  asked  him  the 
day  of  the  week,  the  score,  etc.,  he  did  not  know, 
but  insisted  he  was  all  right.  He  had  received  a 
blow  on  the  head.  He  had  what  is  called,  for  the 
lack  of  a  better  term,  a  slight  brain  concussion. 
From  the  time  he  was  removed  from  the  game 
until  he  was  in  bed  in  the  college  infirmary  he 
was  never  left  alone.  The  following  morning  he 
answered  all  questions  clearly  but  remembered 
only  going  to  the  field  to  play.  He  did  not  re- 
member the  game  at  all,  and  he  did  not  know  how 
he  got  to  the  infirmary.  There  was  a  blank  of 
several  hours.  As  time  passed  the  forgotten 
hours  were  accqunted  for  except  for  a  few  min- 
utes following  his  actual  injury  in  the  game. 
This  period  will  always  be  a  blank,  but  no  per- 
manent injury  will  result. 

The  third  man  with  the  limp  had  received  a 
blow  on  his  shin  which  although  very  painful  for 
the  time  being  is  not  lasting.  That  the  man  was 
able  to  resume  play  a  few  minutes  after  the  in- 
jury was  proof  that  nothing  really  serious  had 
happened. 

The  work  of  medical  advisor  to  a  football  team 
consists  of  first,  the  actual  care  of  the  players 

[121] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

during  a  game  and  the  subsequent  treatment  of 
their  injuries,  and  second,  the  supervision  of 
their  training. 

Throughout  the  game  the  doctor  watches 
eleven  individual  men.  He  sees  very  little  of 
the  game  itself.  He  must  watch  twenty-two 
legs  and  twenty-two  arms  and  know  at  a  glance 
whether  a  limp  that  suddenly  develops  is  serious 
or  not.  On  the  field  he  has  but  two  minutes  to 
make  his  diagnosis.  In  this  short  time  he  must 
decide  if  this  man  can  perform  his  duties  effi- 
ciently. If  allowed  to  continue  to  play  will  he 
injure  himself  still  more?  In  answering  these 
questions  the  doctor  must  always  keep  in  mind, 
that  he  is  responsible  to  the  player's  family  and 
to  the  college.  On  no  account  can  he  allow  a 
man  to  play  after  being  hurt  if  doing  so  will 
cause  a  more  serious  injury.  He  is  responsible 
to  the  coaches  for  the  efficiency  of  the  team,  as 
one  man  physically  incapacitated  may  lose  the 
game  on  the  next  play,  because  he  cannot  fulfil 
his  assignment. 

Barring  the  inevitable  accident  which  is  om- 
nipresent on  the  football  field,  the  two  chief 
causes  of  serious  injuries  are  first,  improper  pro- 
tection from  lack  of  padding,  and  second,  allow- 

[122] 


MEDICAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  GAME 

ing  men  to  continue  play  after  they  are  physi- 
cally exhausted.  With  reference  to  the  player's 
uniform,  twelve  years  ago  a  majority  of  the  play- 
ers wore  no  headguard  and  the  amount  of  pad- 
ding they  used  was  left  to  their  own  discretion. 
In  contrast,  at  Harvard,  no  player  since  1907 
has  been  allowed  to  scrimmage  or  play  in  a  game 
without  a  properly  fitted  headguard.  Further- 
more, the  same  rule  has  been  applied  to  the  pads 
which  protect  certain  vital  muscles  and  joints. 
The  doctor  personally  supervises  the  fitting  and 
use  of  this  "armor." 

Experience  has  also  shown  that  when  players 
are  exhausted  they  become  prone  to  injuries  be- 
cause they  no  longer  have  full  control  of  their 
muscles.  Therefore,  during  all  practices  and 
games  the  doctor  carefully  watches  the  condition 
of  each  player,  and  should  be  the  sole  judge  as 
to  how  long  he  should  continue  to  play.  In  this 
respect,  throughout  eleven  years  of  Varsity 
coaching,  the  author  never  once  thwarted  the  doc- 
tor's judgment. 

After  every  practice  and  game  the  doctor  sees 
every  man  who  has  taken  part.  He  notes  in 
writing  all  injuries,  however  slight,  prescribes 
treatment,  and  orders  the  injured  men  to  report 

[123] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

for  further  examination  before  the  next  practice. 
Each  day  he  sees  the  men  who  have  been  hurt  the 
day  before.  If  they  are  fit  to  resume  practice 
their  names  are  taken  off  the  "Injured  List";  if 
not,  they  are  given  the  necessary  treatment  and 
the  progress  of  recovery  of  the  given  injury  is  re- 
corded. 

The  second  part  of  the  football  doctor's  work, 
the  supervision  of  training,  begins  when  the  col- 
lege closes  in  June.  At  this  time  a  printed  list 
of  instructions  is  sent  to  each  prospective  foot- 
ball player.  The  sum  and  substance  of  this 
pamphlet  is,  do  not  go  into  such  training  during 
the  summer  as  to  return  to  college  down  to 
weight.  It  is  better  to  return  overweight. 
Exercises  or  games  that  tend  to  increase  speed 
and  develop  accuracy  of  the  eye  are  best,  such 
as  tennis,  squash  racquets,  handball,  etc.  Swim- 
ming is  an  excellent  all-around  exercise,  but 
gymnasium  work  is  not  well  suited  for  the  foot- 
ball player  as  it  tends  to  make  a  man  muscle- 
bound. 

Many  players  erroneously  think  that  they 
should  report  for  football  in  September  "trained 
fine,"  and  therefore  spend  the  preceding  summer 
months  doing  some  form  of  hard  physical  labor 

[124] 


MEDICAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  GAME 

SO  that  when  the  season  opens  they  are  "down 
to  weight."  Quite  often  this  method  ends  disas- 
trously. The  player  goes  "stale"  and  becomes 
useless  to  himself  and  to  the  team.  Here  is  an 
example.  John  Smith,  after  the  spring  training 
season,  followed  the  advice  of  some  friends  and 
went  to  work  on  a  farm  to  get  into  good  shape  for 
football.  He  reported  for  practice  thirty 
pounds  under  weight.  He  was  nervous  and  rest- 
less. His  appetite  was  poor,  and  he  was  not 
sleeping  well.  He  was  not  allowed  to  play  foot- 
ball. He  was  told  to  rest,  to  get  at  least  ten 
hours'  sleep  a  night,  eat  three  meals  a  day  and  ex- 
ercise in  moderation.  In  three  weeks  he  gained 
eighteen  pounds.  At  the  end  of  another  month 
he  had  gained  twenty  pounds  more  and  admitted 
that  he  never  had  felt  better.  Here  was  an  ath- 
lete who  had  over-trained — or  gone  stale.  This 
may  sound  like  an  extreme  case  but  you  may  rest 
assured  that  every  year  some  boy  turns  up  who 
has  been  as  badly  misguided  as  John  Smith. 

The  football  season  proper  starts  two  to  three 
weeks  before  the  first  game.  This  period  of 
time  is  required  to  bring  the  men  into  condition 
to  do  the  physical  work  necessary  during  a  con- 
test. 

[125] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

When  the  players  report  for  practice  in  Sep- 
tember every  man  is  given  a  careful  and  complete 
physical  examination,  and  is  required  to  report 
any  bone  or  joint  injury  that  he  may  have  re- 
ceived in  the  previous  four  months.  After  prac- 
tice begins  all  players  are  instructed  to  report 
every  injury,  no  matter  how  trivial,  to  the  doctor 
in  charge.  They  are  not  to  assume  that  a  scratch 
or  a  bump  is  nothing  and  "will  be  all  right  to- 
morrow." It  is  not  the  player's  province  to 
decide  whether  he  is  physically  fit.  The  doctor 
is  the  Supreme  Court  on  this  subject;  and  all 
concerned,  coaches  as  well  as  players,  must  abide 
by  his  decision. 

Thus  a  man  reports  a  slight  sprain  or  bruise. 
His  name  goes  on  the  "Injured  List"  and  stays 
there  until  the  doctor  thinks  he  is  physically  fit 
to  resume  practice.  That  no  mistake  may  be 
made  in  this  matter  a  copy  of  the  "Injured 
List"  is  sent  at  the  beginning  of  each  practice 
to  the  head  coach,  who  can  then  tell  at  a  glance 
which  players  are  not  available. 

The  early  days  of  practice  are  taken  up  largely 
with  conditioning  exercises  which  limber  up  the 
muscles  and  accustom  them  to  the  more  strenu- 
ous work  that  is  to  come.     After  a  short  time  the 

[126] 


MEDICAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  GAME 

soreness  and  stiff ness  disappear  and  the  men  find 
that  their  "wind"  is  improving.  However,  at 
this  stage  they  are  still  far  from  ready  for  the 
rough  and  tumble  of  the  game.  Even  one  bad 
fall  now  would  cause  unnecessary  bruises  and 
very  sore  muscles.  Later  on,  after  the  players 
have  had  a  few  scrimmages,  a  severe  bump  or  fall 
will  produce  scarcely  any  effect.  Accordingly, 
then,  conditioning  of  the  men  may  be  defined  as 
so  exercising  the  whole  body,  muscles,  lungs,  etc., 
that  they  will  perform  their  respective  functions 
under  stress  without  fatigue;  and  so  toughening 
the  body  to  blows  and  falls  that  they  do  not  pro- 
duce sore  and  tender  bruises  that  may  last  for 
days.  Thus  the  early  season  work  starts  easily 
and  gradually  becomes  more  and  more  strenuous 
until  at  the  end  of  five  or  six  weeks  a  player 
should  be  in  nearly  perfect  condition. 

It  is  difficult  to  define  the  word  "training"  ac- 
curately, for  it  includes  not  only  actually  learn- 
ing the  plays  and  their  execution,  but  also  devel- 
oping the  physical  stamina  necessary  to  carry 
them  out  in  competition.  To  bring  about  these 
two  ends  requires  time,  patience,  and  great  care 
of  the  human  machine.  After  the  first  week  or 
ten  days  the  squad  goes  into  strict  training. 

[127] 


Co 
O 


[128] 


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[129] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

This  means  going  to  bed  at  ten  o'clock,  no  smok- 
ing or  drinking,  and  regular  meals  at  the  training 
table. 

The  old-time  professional  trainers  believed 
that  an  athlete  required  a  breakfast  of  fruit, 
cereal,  chops,  dry  toast  and  cocoa  or  milk;  and 
a  lunch  of  clear  soup,  beef  with  potatoes  and  peas 
or  beans  and  a  simple  pudding.  Supper  was 
much  the  same,  except  that  chicken  and  duck 
occasionally  alternated  with  the  ever-present 
beef.  The  idea  that  all  fats  and  sweetmeats 
should  be  carefully  avoided  still  persists  in  many 
minds. 

A  more  rational  way  of  looking  at  the  problem 
is  to  consider  athletics  as  a  form  of  manual  labor. 
The  lumberjack  in  the  woods  probably  does 
more  physical  work  per  twenty-four  hours  than 
any  other  workman.  He  is  subjected  to  climatic 
exposure  and  his  hours  are  long.  A  look  at  his 
diet  shows  that  it  is  rich  in  fats  and  carbohy- 
drates ( sugars ) .  Do  not  understand  that  by  this 
a  diet  of  "bannock  and  beans"  is  advocated  for 
the  football  player,  but  rather  that  a  normal, 
well-rounded  diet  is  better  than  the  old  one  of 
beef,  mutton,  beef,  and  more  beef.  Probably 
the  best  diet  is  the  simple  cooking  received  at 

[130] 


MEDICAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  GAME 

home.  With  this  end  in  view  some  of  the  pres- 
ent-day training  tables  produce  menus  that 
closely  resemble  home  cooking.  To  be  sure, 
many  rich  and  indigestible  dishes  such  as  pies 
and  various  forms  of  pastry  must  be  restricted. 
Men  in  training  crave  sweets  as  did  the  men  in 
the  army.  This*  is  a  sign  that  the  diet  is  defi- 
cient in  sugars.  Accordingly,  at  some  training 
tables  you  will  find  a  small  dish  of  candy  at  each 
man's  plate.  Again  you  will  find  salads  with 
plenty  of  dressing  and  cheese — ^the  last  two 
supplying  the  much-needed  fats  which  the  lum- 
berjack gets  from  his-  bacon  and  pork.  In  other 
words,  the  modern  training-table  fare  should 
resemble  what  the  men  are  used  to  at  home,  with 
some  restriction  of  pastry  and  fried  things  and 
a  slight  increase  in  fats  and  simple  sweets. 

Before  prohibition  it  was  customary  to  give 
each  man  in  training  a  pint  of  ale  once  a  week 
after  mid-season,  and  twice  a  week  or  oftener 
during  the  last  two  weeks.  This  supplied  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  additional  food  and  some  degree 
of  mental  relaxation.  Men  who  were  known  to 
have  a  tendency  to  go  stale  were  quite  often  given 
additional  amounts  of  ale  to  keep  them  from  go- 
ing over  the  edge.     Another  custom  was  a  glass 

[131] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

of  champagne  the  night  before  the  big  game  to 
insure  a  good  night's  sleep.  Spirituous  hquors 
of  all  kinds  never  had  any  place  in  the  training 
of  athletes. 

Over-training,  or  going  stale,  are  terms  fam- 
iliar to  all  who  have  had  anything  to  do  with 
athletics.  Some  men  never  go  stale  while  others 
invariably  do.  It  is  more  liable  to  happen  to 
men  of  the  nervous  high-strung  type.  During  a 
particularly  hard  game,  especially  on  warm  days, 
a  player  may  lose  as  much  as  ten  pounds  in 
weight.  This  loss  is  largely  in  the  form  of  water 
and  if  the  man's  general  condition  is  good  he 
should  resume  normal  weight  at  the  beginning 
of  the  second  day  following  the  game.  If  his 
weight  does  not  come  back  it  means  that  he  is 
having  too  much  work  and  too  little  play.  He 
is  in  danger  of  going  stale.  A  stale  man  is  tired 
all  the  time.  He  does  not  sleep  well  and  his  fea- 
tures become  drawn.  In  practice  or  in  a  game 
he  does  not  perform  with  snap  and  precision. 
He  is  evidently  "off  his  game."  If  he  is  asked 
what  is  the  matter,  the  invariable  reply  is,  "I 
do  not  know,  but  I  don't  feel  right." 

The  cure  is  a  change  of  environment.  He 
must  be  sent  away  for  a  few  days,  to  be  with  dif- 

[132] 


MEDICAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  GAME 

ferent  people  and  break  training  to  the  extent  of 
a  bottle  of  ale,  if  such  is  obtainable.  He  should 
not  go  near  the  football  field  or  do  any  practic- 
ing. After  two  or  three  days  of  this  treatment 
almost  any  stale  athlete  will  come  back  fit.  The 
condition  is  undoubtedly  partly  mental  and  is 
probably  closely  allied  to  the  now  familiar  term, 
"sheU-shock." 

In  arranging  the  schedule  of  games,  the  doc- 
tor's advice  should  always  be  considered.  From 
his  point  of  view  it  is  a  mistake  to  play  a  hard 
game  every  Saturday  during  the  season,  be- 
cause it  forces  the  players  to  over-extend  them- 
selves. Preferably  the  schedule  should  contain 
two  or  at  most  three  hard  games;  and  the  other 
games  should  be  used  solely  for  the  purpose  of 
conditioning  the  players  for  the  championship 
contests.  It  often  happens  that  a  so-called  prac- 
tice game  develops  into  an  unexpectedly  hard- 
fought  battle.  This  tempts  the  coach  to  keep  his 
best  players  in  the  game  for  a  longer  period 
than  was  planned.  On  such  an  occasion  the  doc- 
tor's advice  is  valuable,  because  the  coach  in  his 
eagerness  for  victory  may  easily  overlook  the 
costly  effect  upon  the  physical  condition  of  the 
players. 

[188] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

In  short,  the  football  doctor's  duty  does  not 
stop  at  repairing  injuries  or  healing  sickness. 
He  toughens  his  men  for  the  shock  of  conflict. 
He  supervises  their  diet  and  their  rest,  and  ob- 
serves their  mental  condition  at  all  times.  Aside 
from  the  possibility  of  injury  on  the  field,  the 
football  player's  health  and  welfare  are  much 
more  carefully  guarded  than  those  of  the  average 
citizen. 


[134] 


VI 

THE  INTELLIGENCE  DEPARTMENT 

I  DO  NOT  know  who  first  applied  the  title 
of  "scouts"  to  the  men  who  are  regularly 
assigned  to  the  task  of  gathering  informa- 
tion for  the  various  football  camps.  It  was  a 
most  unfortunate  designation,  because  it  created 
in  the  public  mind  an  entirely  false  impression, 
which  still  prevails  and  seems  to  spread  in  spite 
of  frequent  denials  from  authoritative  sources. 
It  leads  the  public  to  believe  that  spying,  trick- 
ery and  improper  methods  are  integral  parts  of 
the  game.  It  is  true  that  some  twenty  or  more 
years  ago  there  was  a  tendency  to  conduct  all 
athletics  on  a  win-by-any-means  basis  and  dis- 
tinctly improper  methods  were  employed  in  the 
effort  to  secure  information  about  a  rival.  Much 
might  be  written  about  some  of  the  ingenious 
tricks  that  were  resorted  to  in  these  early  days, 
but  the  results  attained  by  such  means  were 
very  small. 

From  an  ethical  point  of  view,  all  athletics 

[135] 


i      ?5.5S'«^        a.'^s: 


S  ?-§  a"      -B 


[136]  i,|      lirf      |o-      |-«| 


M»"\:^- 


:\      .        '^  s 


THE  INTELLIGENCE  DEPARTMENT 

have  made  great  strides  in  the  last  ten  years. 
The  intelligence  departments  of  the  various 
football  teams  have  kept  pace  with  this  progress 
toward  fair  play.  Today  the  football  scout  is 
recognized  as  an  important  part  of  the  coaching 
staff,  and  his  work  is  always  done  in  a  manner 
above  suspicion  and  criticism.  Among  the  larger 
colleges  it  is  now  a  conmion  practice  to  send 
complimentary  tickets  to  all  the  opponents  on 
the  schedule. 

The  scout  who  is  to  observe  a  given  team  dur- 
ing a  season  makes  himself  known  to  the  proper 
authorities  upon  his  arrival  in  town,  and  before 
the  game  begins.  He  becomes  the  guest  of  the 
team  which  it  is  his  duty  to  observe.  Not  in- 
frequently he  actually  dines  at  the  rival  training- 
table  and  is  on  perfectly  harmonious  terms  with 
the  rival  coaches.  On  his  side,  he  expects  and 
desires  to  see  and  hear  nothing  except  what  takes 
place  on  the  field  and  is  open  to  the  observa- 
tion of  every  spectator.  No  matter  what  the 
scouts  of  the  olden  days  may  have  been,  the  scouts 
of  to-day  are  regarded,  by  those  who  know  the 
facts,  merely  as  rival  coaches  carrying  out  just 
as  honorable  and  legitimate  an  assignment  as 
if  they  were  at  home  teaching  their  own  teams 

[137] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

how  to  tackle  or  to  throw  the  forward  pajss. 

There  are  practical  as  well  as  theoretical  rea- 
sons why  the  scouts  seek  no  information  beyond 
'what  can  be  obtained  from  observing  opponents 
in  open  play.  It  is  a  firmly  established  popular 
belief  that  football  games  can  be  won  by  trick 
plays  and  intricate  surprises.  In  the  author's 
opinion,  trick  plays  seldom  accomplish  what  is 
expected  of  them,  and  indeed  often  act  as  a 
boomerang  against  the  side  that  employs  them. 
Almost  never  do  trick  plays  justify  the  time  and 
drill  devoted  to  them.  The  elements  that  insure 
the  victory  are  the  inherent  strength  of  a  team 
and  the  soundness  of  its  fundamental  policy. 
These  factors  must  be  in  evidence  in  all  public 
exhibitions ;  and  it  is  these,  raMier  than  the  frills 
and  froth,  that  the  scout  seeks  to  observe  and 
evaluate. 

The  modern  game  of  football  is  so  highly  de- 
veloped that  the  time  available  for  coaching  does 
not  begin  to  suffice.  To  offset  this  lack  of  time, 
in  part,  at  least,  the  head  coach  organizes  his  in- 
telligence department.  From  this  department, 
through  the  reports  of  the  scouts,  he  receives  his 
best  information  as  to  the  type  of  play  to  be  ex- 
pected from  each  successive  opponent.     He  an- 

[138] 


THE  INTELLIGENCE  DEPARTMENT 

alyzes  the  situation  as  disclosed  by  these  reports, 
discusses  it  with  his  assistants,  and  reaches  a  con- 
clusion as  to  the  best  method  of  attack  and  de- 
fense to  be  employed  against  the  next  opponent. 
This  conclusion  is  imparted  to  the  players,  who 
soon  learn  to  rely  on  the  instruction  given  them 
concerning  the  type  of  play  to  expect  from  a  par- 
ticular team,  and  cease  to  puzzle  their  brains 
as  to  what  possibilities  the  next  contest  will  bring 
forth.  Reheved  of  this  worry  about  the  un- 
known, they  concentrate  more  intently  on  the 
daily  practice,  and  the  team  develops  so  much 
the  faster. 

It  should  be  said  here  that  the  scouting  sys- 
tem is  of  direct  benefit  to  the  game  of  football  in 
general.  The  reports  of  the  scouts  keep  the 
coaching  staff  in  constant  touch  with  develop- 
ments and  innovations  that  appear  from  week  to 
week  in  various  quarters.  This  stream  of  ac- 
curate information,  digested  and  discussed,  has 
an  influence,  conscious  or  unconscious,  on  the 
mind  of  every  coach.  It  creates  a  certain  uni- 
formity of  thought  which  tends  perhaps  to  nar- 
row the  scope  of  the  game;  but  this  very  limita- 
tion helps  its  progress  toward  perfection.  It 
stabilizes  the  form  of  the  game,  and  eliminates 

[139] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

unusual  and  unsound  variations  of  play.  By 
standardization  of  the  game  as  a  test  of  skill, 
football  is  made  much  more  interesting  both  to 
player  and  to  spectator. 

Many  persons  have  raised  the  question  why 
there  should  be  any  scouting  at  all.  Enthusi- 
astic followers  of  college  games  are  constantly 
sending  in  voluntary  reports  concerning  the 
strength  and  tactics  of  some  future  opponent. 
The  desk  of  every  coach  is  littered  with  such  re- 
ports; but  the  coach  has  no  means  of  determin- 
ing their  accuracy.  He  dares  not  use  the  in- 
formation himself  or  pass  it  on  to  his  players. 
The  players  themselves  need  some  definite  in- 
struction about  the  individual  peculiarities  of  the 
teams  they  are  to  face.  In  the  absence  of  such 
instruction,  the  players  feel  that  the  coach  is 
groping  in  the  dark,  they  begin  to  lose  confi- 
dence in  him;  and  the  seed  of  failure  is  sown. 
The  scout  fills  this  very  real  need.  He  is  so 
skilled  in  the  technique  of  the  game  that  he  can 
select  the  important  facts  and  disregard  the  rest. 
He  writes  his  report  in  the  language  of  the  coach, 
free  from  irrelevancies  and  non-essentials.  Fi- 
nally, he  submits  his  report  precisely  when  it  is 
needed,  complete  to  the  last  minute  but  in  ample 
[140] 


THE  INTELLIGENCE  DEPARTMENT 

time  for  use.  The  scout  merely  provides  a  relia- 
ble substitute  for  the  rumors  and  inexact  infor- 
mation which  always  come  to  the  ears  of  the 
coach. 

There  are  no  hard  and  fast  rules  for  scout- 
ing. The  work  and  the  reports  vary  with  the 
exigencies  of  the  particular  case.  An  expert 
scout  will  generally  gather  far  more  information 
than  need  be  imparted  to  any  one  man  of  the 
coaching  staff.  In  such  a  case,  he  tells  each 
coach  only  what  is  necessary  for  his  own  depart- 
ment. The  coach,  in  turn,  passes  on  to  each 
player  only  the  information  which  concerns  his 
own  position,  and  keeps  his  mind  free  from  a 
mass  of  irrelevant  details. 

A  contest  between  two  big  colleges  imposes 
heavy  duties  on  their  respective  intelligence  de- 
partments. The  information  to  be  obtained 
naturally  falls  under  the  two  main  headings  of 
"Offense"  and  "Defense."  Each  of  these  are 
subdivided  into  "Mental  Possibilities"  and  "Phy- 
sical ProbabiHties."  Under  these  in  turn  comes 
an  endless  mass  of  minute  detail,  which  changes 
constantly  from  day  to  day. 

Some  of  the  more  important  questions  for  a 
scout  are  as  follows : —    Is  the  team  well  rounded 

[141] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

out  in  all  its  branches?  If  not,  what  are  its 
weaknesses?  Are  its  offensive  and  defensive 
formations  sound?  How  many  plays  have  they 
shown,  and  what  are  their  types?  What  are 
their  best  plays?  What  plays  will  they  prob- 
ably develop  ?  Of  what  type  is  the  quarterback, 
and  what  field  tactics  does  he  employ?  What  is 
the  ability  and  speed  of  the  kicker  with  and 
against  the  wind?  Does  he  constitute  a  triple 
threat?  Are  any  other  backs  in  this  cate- 
gory? Which  backs  are  best  at  running,  and 
which  at  interference?  What  players  are  best  at 
receiving  passes?  What  defensive  line  methods 
are  used?  Does  the  team  as  a  whole  tackle  well? 
What  players  show  weakness  in  this  particular? 
What  is  the  average  weight  of  line  and  back- 
field?  How  many  and  what  defenses  does  this 
team  employ?  What  type  of  offense  and  what 
particular  plays  will  go  best  against  this  team? 

The  scout  must  also  analyze  the  individual 
player.  If  the  player  is  fast,  he  can  move  on 
the  field  at  least  seven  yards  a  second.  A  slower 
man  can  move  only  a  part  of  that  distance.  An 
alert  man,  quick  at  sizing  up  a  play,  is  apt  to  do 
the  correct  thing  at  the  proper  time.  A  man 
who  is  mentally  sluggish  starts  slowly,  and  is 

[142] 


THE  INTELLIGENCE  DEPARTMENT 

easily  decoyed  in  the  wrong  direction.  Some- 
times a  man's  slowness  may  prove  of  advantage 
to  his  team.  It  happens  frequently  that  a  clev- 
erly designed  play  is  stopped  by  a  stupid  player 
who  has  stood  in  his  tracks,  unable  to  decide 
what  to  do  while  the  play  is  getting  under  way. 

Before  the  big  game  arrives,  and  in  time  to 
make  use  of  the  knowledge,  a  head  coach  wants 
to  know  whether  he  can  stop  his  opponent's  at- 
tack, and  whether  his  own  team's  offense  is 
strong  enough  to  win.  Teams  improve  gradu- 
ally, but  with  ever-increasing  momentum.  The 
scout's  opinion  on  what  a  team  has  already  done 
is  of  small  importance.  What  the  scout  must 
furnish  to  his  chief  is  a  forecast;  an  accurate 
estimate  of  what  the  team  can  do  on  the  day  of 
the  big  game  with  the  added  incentive  of  supreme 
effort  which  only  the  big  game  can  develop. 

Although  he  is  confronted  by  all  sorts  of  com- 
plicated problems,  a  scout  must  never  let  him- 
self wander  far  from  the  path  of  horse  sense. 
The  author  recalls  one  team  which  had  been 
sweeping  all  opponents  before  it,  and  appeared 
to  have  an  attack  so  intricate  and  so  perfectly 
executed  that  no  defense  could  be  built  up 
against  it.     Every  team  which  had  attempted  to 

[143] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

analyze  it  was  completely  puzzled.  Then  an  ex- 
perienced scout  came  forward  with  a  solution  that 
was  ridiculously  simple.  He  maintained  that 
in  the  development  of  this  offense  the  team  had 
neglected  to  devote  sufficient  time  to  defensive 
training;  and  that  it  was  only  necessary  for  its 
opponent  to  keep  possession  of  the  ball  through 
the  medium  of  a  simple,  powerful  attack.  This 
idea  was  adopted;  and  the  supposedly  invincible 
offense  were  so  far  overbalanced  by  the  weakness 
of  the  defense  that  the  opposing  team  ran  up 
a  big  score  while  the  offense  were  starving  for  an 
opportunity  to  "get  going." 


[144] 


VII 
THE  ATTACK 

FOOTBALL  is  a  miniature  war  game 
played  under  somewhat  more  civilized 
rules  of  conduct,  in  which  the  team  be- 
comes the  military  force  of  the  school  or  univer- 
sity which  it  represents.  In  fact  most  of  the 
combat  principles  of  the  Field  Service  Regula- 
tions of  the  United  States  Army  are  applicable 
to  the  modern  game  of  football. 

As  in  combat,  decisive  results  are  obtained  only 
by  an  aggressive  offensive,  and  success  follows 
the  combined  participation  of  every  available 
man,  particularly  in  the  critical  stages  of  the 
contest.  The  fundamental  object  of  the  offense 
is  to  select  a  point  of  attack  which,  theoretically, 
is  always  the  weakest  -position  of  the  defense, 
and  to  assault  that  position  with  fullest  strength, 
at  the  same  time  engaging  as  many  as  possible  of 
the  defensive  players  ekewhere  to  prevent  their 
strengthening   the    point    assaulted.     In    other 

[145] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

words,  the  quarterback  continually  endeavors 
to  attack  a  defensive  position  by  a  numerically 
and  consequently  physically  superior  offensive 
force. 

Of  course  the  importance  of  this  power  advan- 
tage has  been  greatly  reduced  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  forward  pass,  which  has  materially 
increased  the  complexity  of  the  game  even  as  the 
use  of  the  airplane  has  changed  the  whole  char- 
acter of  modern  warfare.  The  forward  pass 
definitely  increased  the  element  of  surprise,  in 
that  the  possible  positions  of  men  eligible  to 
receive  the  pass  added  a  substantial  measure  of 
offensive  variety  to  the  old  single  idea  of  power 
superiority  at  the  selected  point  of  attack.  Even 
so,  the  fact  remains  that  football  alone  of  college 
sports  permits  of  hard  bodily  contact  between 
two  groups  of  players,  each  striving  by  its  power 
superiority  to  force  the  other  to  give  ground  at 
a  point  of  weakness. 

As  has  already  been  stated,  there  are  three 
salient  weapons  of  attack — the  rush,  the  kick, 
and  the  forward  pass.  There  are  also  many  and 
various  types  of  offense. 

Some  teams  predominate  in  the  number  and 
strength  of  their  line  plays.     This  type  of  offense 

[146] 


THE  ATTACK 

is  termed  a  "gruelling"  attack,  because  it  has 
the  effect  of  wearing  down  the  opposing  linemen; 
and  although  the  gains  are  apt  to  be  small,  yet 
the  consistency  with  which  they  are  made  materi- 
ally affects  the  strength  and  morale  of  the  op- 
posing team.  Other  teams  adopt  end  running 
as  the  principal  form  of  attack,  while  still  others 
place  great  reliance  on  the  forward  pass. 
Again,  if  a  team  is  possessed  of  a  great  kicker, 
it  may  be  able  to  punt  its  way  out  of  its  own 
territory  and  when  it  reaches  scoring  distance 
utilize  the  drop  kick  as  the  scoring  play. 

Since  1912,  when  the  present  rules  with  some 
modifications  went  into  effect,  there  has  been  a 
tendency  to  decrease  the  number  and  type  of 
offensive  formations.  However,  there  can  still 
be  a  great  variation  in  the  arrangement  of  the 
offensive  team.  Considering  the  line  alone, 
perhaps  the  simplest  form  is  to  have  three  line- 
men on  either  side  of  the  center.  This  is  called 
a  balanced  formation.  Another  arrangement 
places  four  men  on  one  side  of  the  center  and 
only  two  on  his  other  flank.  The  question  may 
be  asked  why  not  carry  this  idea  still  further  and 
put  all  the  men  on  one  side.  The  answer  is  that 
because  the  center  must  give  his  attention  first 

[147] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

of  all  to  passing  the  ball  accurately  to  his  back- 
field,  he  is  not  as  effective  in  other  respects  as 
the  rest  of  the  line,  who  are  devoting  all  their 
attention  to  their  opponents.  The  territory, 
then,  in  his  immediate  vicinity  is  theoretically 
not  as  strongly  held  as  elsewhere.  Therefore, 
in  order  tfo  have  a  strong  screen  behind  which  to 
start  plays  and  both  flanks  properly  upheld,  a 
great  majority  of  teams  adopt  the  four  and  two 
formation.  Harvard  alone  has  a  peculiar  method 
of  changing  its  formations  from  right  to  left. 
Instead  of  shifting  the  line  along,  the  long  side 
wheels  around  behind  and  the  short  side  in  front 
of  center  so  that  each  player  ends  up  in  the  same 
relative  position  in  respect  to  his  neighbors  that 
he  held  before.  The  advantages  gained  are 
that  each  player  has  the  same  relative  assign- 
ments in  all  plays,  whether  the  formation  is  right 
or  left. 

The  offensive  backfield  is  also  subject  to  great 
variety  of  arrangement,  but  with  respect  to  the 
influence  upon  the  defense  certain  standardized 
formations,  i.  e.,  open,  close,  loose,  wide  ( see  dia- 
grams), are  used  by  the  majority  of  prominent 
teams.  Of  these,  the  first  permits  of  great 
variety  of  sweeps,  passes,  and  kicks,  and  still  re- 

[148] 


THE  ATTACK 

tains  the  inherent  strength  of  the  close  running 
attack,  in  which  plunges  and  slants  predominate. 
In  this  formation,  the  defense  must  pay  particu- 
lar attention  to  the  player  who  takes  position 
some  ten  yards  from  the  scrimmage  line.  Ex- 
perience has  taught  that  this  distance  is  best 
adapted  to  either  a  punt  or  drop  kick.  It  has 
also  been  found  that  from  this  position  a  speedy 
halfback  can  flank  the  enemy  better  than  from 
a  point  nearer  the  line.  Further,  in  order  to 
gain  the  proper  element  of  time  necessary  to 
deploy  the  possible  receivers  of  a  long  forward 
pass,  the  passer  must  be  well  removed  from  in- 
terference by  the  opposing  linemen.  Therefore, 
if  the  player  in  question  is  adept  in  kicking,  run- 
ning, and  passing,  whenever  he  assumes  this  ten 
yard  position  he  constitutes  a  "triple  threat"; 
and  the  defense  must  so  arrange  themselves  as  to 
be  properly  prepared  for  a  kick,  run  or  pass. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  loose  and  wide  for- 
mations, which  are  effective  because  of  the  con- 
fusion created  among  the  defensive  players  as 
to  the  proper  positions  they  should  assume. 
Still  another  type  is  called  the  shift  formation, 
because  the  offensive  players  suddenly  change 

[149] 


THE  ATTACK 

position  just  prior  to  the  snap  of  the  ball.  In 
this  way  they  hope  to  obtain  an  advantage  over 
the  defense  by  denying  them  an  opportunity  of 
sizing  up  the  situation  before  the  ball  is  put  into 
play.  This  type  of  offense  has  two  disadvan- 
tages. In  the  first  place,  a  great  amount  of 
practice  is  necessary  for  its  proper  execution. 
Second,  the  plays  are  "blind,"  for  the  reason 
that,  as  they  have  to  be  decided  upon  before  the 
offensive  players  shift,  the  ultimate  positions  of 
the  opponents  who  change  position  to  meet  the 
shift  cannot  be  determined  at  the  moment  the 
ball  is  put  in  play.  This  type  of  offense  may 
be  termed  haphazard,  because  it  may  strike  the 
defense  at  its  strongest  instead  of  its  weakest 
point. 

The  number  of  plays  which  can  be  run  from 
these  formations  is  almost  limitless.  There  are 
perhaps  fifty  or  sixty  good  ones,  but  it  is  quite 
impossible  to  teach  that  number  thoroughly  to 
any  team  in  one  season.  It  is  good  judgment, 
therefore,  for  the  coach  to  select  from  twenty  to 
thirty  and  limit  himself  strictly  to  that  number. 
It  is  also  of  great  advantage  to  run  all  of  them 
from  each  formation.     In  other  words,  it  is  ad- 

[150] 


THE  ATTACK 

visable  so  to  consolidate  the  number  of  forma- 
tions and  plays  that  they  together  form  a  com- 
prehensive unit  of  attack. 

Having  decided  on  the  nature  and  number  of 
formations  and  plays,  how  then  can  the  coach 
best  teach  them  to  the  players?  Few  people 
realize  the  difficulty  of  executing  even  the  sim- 
plest of  football  plays.  Consider  the  c^ter 
rush,  who  is  called  upon  to  pass  the  ball  between 
his  legs  accurately  to  a  moving  backfield  which 
he  sees  inverted.  The  co-ordination  between  him 
and  the  quarterback  must  be  deft,  accurate,  and 
performed  with  the  utmost  speed.  The  mere 
catching  of  the  football  by  the  backfield  is  made 
difficult  by  its  elongated  shape;  and  when  one 
considers  the  trying  circumstances  under  which 
a  forward  pass  is  often  caugjit,  when  the  oppo- 
nents are  also  trying  to  catch  it  at  the  same  time, 
handling  the  ball  cleanly  is  a  remarkably  skillful 
feat. 

In  teaching  the  various  plays  it  is  always  best 
first  to  diagram  the  whole  team,  showing  the 
position  of  each  man  before  the  ball  is  put  in 
play  and  his  course  and  duty  after  the  ball  is 
snapped.  A  signal  should  be  attached  to  the 
diagram.     Usually    each    play    is    numbered. 

[151] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

The  theory  and  use  of  the  particular  play  in 
question  should  then  be  thoroughly  explained. 

Having  thus  visualized  the  play,  an  eleven  is 
lined  up,  the  proper  signal  given,  the  ball 
snapped,  and  each  man  starts  at  a  walk  in  his 
designated  direction.  When  the  interference 
reaches  the  line  of  scrimmage  all  the  players 
stop,  and  their  various  duties  at  the  time 
of  contact  with  their  opponents  are  thoroughly 
explained  and  demonstrated.  In  order  to  make 
this  more  realistic  it  is  well  to  have  another 
eleven  lined  up  in  the  proper  defensive  forma- 
tion, and  each  man  should  act  his  part  as  natur- 
ally as  possible:  in  other  words  this  team  should 
move  as  the  defense  probably  would  move  against 
a  play  of  this  nature.  The  play  should  then  be 
practiced  at  a  trot,  and  when  all  players  have 
assimilated  their  assignments  it  should  be  prac- 
ticed at  full  speed.  The  amount  of  rehearsing 
necessary  to  perfect  a  given  play  is  enormous. 
The  author  was  once  reminded  that  he  had 
compelled  an  eleven  to  repeat  one  play  seventeen 
times  before  he  felt  satisfied  that  it  was  properly 
executed. 

Th^  team  formation  in  punting  practice  must 
not  give  the  play  away.     In  other  words,  both 

[152] 


THE  DEFENSE 

ends  and  the  backiield  must  be  so  disposed  that 
a  running  attack  or  forward  pass  still  appears 
to  be  probable. 

That  the  reader  may  in  some  degree  reaUze 
the  amount  of  detail  in  a  given  play,  the  follow- 
ing main  points  to  be  observed  in  practicing  a 
punt  are  here  given: — 

a.  The  center  must  neither  alter  the  position 
of  his  hands  on  the  ball,  nor  give  to  the  oppo- 
nents any  hint  as  to  the  direction  or  length  oi 
the  forthcoming  pass. 

b.  The  line  from  tackle  to  tackle  must  form  a 
solid  wall,  to  guard  the  punter  from  direct  fron- 
tal attack. 

c.  The  ends  must  be  free  from  their  oppo- 
nents, ready  to  start  down  the  field  on  the  snap 
of  the  ball. 

d.  The  backs  must  be  placed  so  that  they  best 
protect  the  kicker,  thus  affording  him  sufficient 
time  and  space  to  get  off  his  kick. 

e.  The  kicker  must  attend  to: 

1.  Assuming  the  correct  stance. 

2.  Catching  the  pass  from  the  center  and 

manipulating  the  ball  with  the  fingers 
into  the  proper  position. 

3.  Maintaining  this   position   during  the 

[153] 


THE  ATTACK 

transit  of  the  ball  from  hand  to  foot. 

4.  Position  of  the  kicking  foot  when  con- 

tact with  the  ball  takes  place,  i.  e.,  toe 
well  pointed. 

5.  Nature  of  the  blow  imparted  to  the  ball, 

i.  e.,  the  action  is  similar  to  a  golf 
stroke: — the  snap  of  the  knee  sup- 
plants the  wrist  motion  of  the  golfer. 

6.  Proper  respect  to  quickness,  height,  di- 

rection and  distance. 

The  entire  play,  from  the  time  the  ball  is 
snapped  till  the  ball  is  kicked  must  be  consum- 
mated in  less  than  three  seconds. 

Perhaps  another  illustration  will  impress 
upon  the  reader  the  various  functions  of  the 
players  in  such  a  simple  play  as  an  end  run : — - 

a.  The  opposing  line  from  tackle  to  tackle 
must  be  boxed. 

b.  The  opposing  end  must  be  put  out  of  the 
play  by  two  interferers. 

c.  Second  line  of  defense  must  be  taken  care 
of  by  two  more  interferers. 

d.  Third  line  and  fourth  line  of  defense  must 
be  dodged  because  all  available  interference  has 
been  used  up. 

e.  Pursuers  must  be  cut  off. 
[154] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

If  any  one  of  the  first  three  assignments  is 
not  carried  out  the  play  will  be  theoretically 
stopped.  The  spectator  may  wonder  why  the 
quarterback  keeps  trying  the  same  play  over 
and  over  again  without  apparent  success.  It  is 
in  the  hope  that  all  the  assignments  may  be 
carried  out  perfectly  at  the  same  time,  in  which 
case  a  good  gain  will  result. 

Before  the  ball  is  put  in  play  it  appears  easy 
to  the  spectator  to  gain  ground  by  utilizing  a 
sweep,  but  he  should  remember  that  the  defense 
move  as  fast  as  the  offense,  so  that  an  attempt 
at  flanking  the  enemy  usually  results  in  a  lateral 
run  to  the  side  lines  with  little  gain.  It  is 
surprising  how  frequently  the  spectator  ignores 
this  fact.  The  author  has  received  many  anony- 
mous suggestions  in  the  form  of  beautiful 
diagrams,  of  a  runner  encircling  the  opposing 
end  for  a  forty  yard  dash  to  the  goal  line,  with 
apparently  no  movement  by  the  defense  to 
impede  his  progress. 

The  rules  must  also  be  observed.  Once  a 
particularly  keen  observer  travelled  one  hundred 
miles  in  order  to  present  to  the  author  a  play 
which  he  assured  him  had  never  been  tried. 
Briefly,  his  conception  of  how  to  score  was  as 

[155] 


THE  ATTACK 

follows : — Upon  receiving  the  kick-off  the  runner 
should  advance  as  far  as  possible  and  then  hurl 
the  ball  forward  to  a  player  stationed  at  the 
opposite  side  of  the  field,  who,  if  threatened  by 
a  tackier,  should  in  turn  again  pass  the  ball 
forward  to  another  player,  who  by  this  time 
should  have  reached  the  opponents'  goal  line. 
This  well-wisher  had  entirely  overlooked  the 
fact  that  the  rules  clearly  state  that  a  forward 
pass  shall  be  made  only  from  scrimmage  and  fur- 
thermore that  only  one  forward  pass  may  be  tried 
during  any  one  play.  Otherwise  his  methods 
and  conclusions  were  quite  correct. 

The  signals  which  inform  the  players  of  their 
various  moves  might  be  termed  a  number  lan- 
guage. By  calling  off  a  series  of  numbers  the 
quarterback  tells  his  team-mates  which  man  is 
to  take  the  hall,  where  they  are  to  go,  and,  in  case 
a  starting  signal  is  used,  when  they  are  to  start. 
The  system  of  signals  employed  should  be  essen- 
tially simple,  and  yet  should  have  sufficient 
complexity  to  baffle  opponents  in  their  efforts 
to  understand  them.  A  starting  signal  in- 
creases the  mental  burden  of  the  players,  yet 
the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  it  more  than 
compensate.     By  a  fore-knowledge  of  when  the 

[156] 


THE  ATTACK 

ball  is  to  be  snapped  the  linemen  are  enabled  to 
start,  through  the  agency  of  the  ear  rather  than 
the  eye,  thus  allowing  them  to  focus  their  whole 
attention  on  their  opponents.  Furthermore,  if 
the  signal  is  rhythmic  the  whole  team  can  by  an- 
ticipation start  more  easily  and  more  in  unison 
than  if  they  are  left  unawares  until  they  actually 
see  the  ball  in  motion.  But  the  starting  signal 
is  a  dangerous  toy.  The  men  are  apt  to  "beat 
the  ball"  in  their  anxiety  to  be  on  time;  thus 
causing  offside  play,  and  more  often  upsetting 
the  delicate  timing  between  the  quarterback, 
who  has  to  wait  for  the  ball  from  center,  and  the 
rest  of  the  backfield,  who  have  already  started. 

To  assimilate  a  set  of  signals  thoroughly  takes 
long  practice.  To  players  who  are  not  familiar 
with  a  given  system  they  appear  like  so  much 
Greek,  but  after  a  long  period  of  rehearsing 
they  become  more  effective  than  spoken  direc- 
tions. An  old  player,  who  had  graduated 
twenty-five  years  before,  told  the  author  he  could 
vividly  recollect  the  signals  of  certain  plays  in 
which  he  took  the  ball. 

After  a  team  has  perfected  a  play  in  signal 
practice,  the  next  step  is  to  run  the  play  against 
real  opposition.     Scrimmages,  whether  in  prac- 

[157] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

tice  or  in  games,  are  complicated  affairs.  There 
are  so  many  rules  and  players  involved  that  they 
should  always  be  carefully  supervised.  In  prac- 
tice scrimmages  it  is  well  to  have  coaches  or 
managers  act  in  the  capacity  of  officials,  to  see 
that  the  various  rules  are  observed  at  all  times. 
Only  in  this  way  can  a  proper  respect  for  the 
rules  be  instilled. 

Rather  than  plunge  into  the  confusion  of  a 
live  scrimmage  it  is  well  to  indulge  in  so-called 
dummy  scrimmages,  until  the  players  are  thor- 
oughly conversant  with  their  respective  duties 
and  are  in  good  enough  physical  condition  to 
stand  the  wear  and  tear  of  actual  scrimmage. 
A  dummy  scrimmage  is  football  minus  the 
tackle.  It  gives  the  players  a  chance  to  learn 
their  tasks  more  thoroughly  and  with  a  greatly 
minimized  risk  of  injury. 

When  the  groundwork  has  been  completed 
by  this  means,  the  first  real  scrimmage  can  be 
tried.  It  is  surprising  how  much  confusion 
ensues.  There  is  always  a  great  deal  of  offside, 
or  starting  before  the  ball  is  put  in  play.  The 
execution  of  the  plays  is  crude  because  the  men 
are  awkward  in  handhng  themselves  and  also 
because  they  have  not  yet  learned  the  plays 

[158] 


THE  ATTACK 

perfectly.  Coaches  and  players  make  a  great 
deal  of  noise,  and  in  general  there  is  an  undue 
amount  of  excitement.  Furthermore,  a  good 
deal  of  physical  suffering  results  from  bumps 
and  falls,  and  from  the  lack  of  "wind''  which  all 
players  experience  when  violent  exercise  is  in- 
dulged in  for  the  first  time.  Added  to  these 
discomforts  a  great  deal  of  dust  is  apt  to  arise 
from  the  field  of  play.  How,  then,  can  players 
learn  anything  in  these  surroundings  ?  The  solu- 
tion is  for  players  and  coaches  to  keep  quiet  until 
an  interval  occurs  in  the  scrimmage;  and  these 
intervals  should  be  frequent  at  first,  decreasing 
as  order  is  gained  and  the  endurance  of  the  men 
increases. 

When  the  team  has  learned  the  execution  of 
the  various  plays,  the  next  problem  of  the  coach 
is  to  teach  the  quarterback  when  and  where  to 
use  them. 

There  is  always  marked  difference  between 
theory  and  practice  in  football.  The  greatest 
precision  is  planned  in  the  execution  of  plays, 
yet  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  the  defense 
spoil  it.  Only  by  continual  striving  after  a  per- 
fect performance  can  one  occasionally  be  made 
to  occur.    At  other  times  quite  unwarranted 

[159] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

gains  and  losses  result  from  the  defense  not  do- 
ing as  they  are  expected.  In  this  respect  foot- 
ball closely  resembles  a  battle,  which  has  been 
planned  with  great  preparation,  but  which,  soon 
after  contact  between  the  opposing  forces  takes 
place,  resolves  itself  into  utter  confusion. 
Unexpected  situations  develop  in  unexpected 
places.  New  elements  of  strength  and  weak- 
ness appear  on  either  side.  Unlooked-for  dis- 
positions of  the  enemy  call  for  instant  changes 
of  tactics.  Such  conditions  can  be  successfully 
met  only  by  men  whose  previous  intensive  train- 
ing prompts  them  instinctively  to  do  the  correct 
thing. 

Reference  has  been  made  in  a  former  chapter 
to  the  A  B  C  of  field  tactics.  Of  course,  con- 
ditions often  necessitate  changes  even  in  the 
fundamental  principles  of  field  play.  For  ex- 
ample, if  a  team  is  particularly  adept  in  for- 
ward passing  and  weak  in  kicking,  it  would  be 
foolhardy  for  it  to  adopt  the  punt  as  a  means 
of  getting  out  of  its  own  territory.  Some 
teams  regularly  try  a  long  forward  pass  instead 
of  the  punt,  for  this  purpose.  In  case  the  de- 
fense are  lined  up  in  an  unorthodox  fashion, 
the  quarterback  should  take  advantage  of  this 

[160] 


THE  ATTACK 

weakness  by  using  the  play  which  fits  the  im- 
mediate situation,  irrespective  of  where  the  ball 
happens  to  be  on  the  field  of  play.  Of  course, 
when  the  wind  is  against  the  offense  they  are, 
perforce,  compelled  to  rush  the  ball  when  in 
their  own  territory,  as  it  would  be  suicidal  to 
exchange  punts,  assuming  that  both  kickers  have 
equal  ability.  Still  again,  the  score  must  always 
be  kept  in  mind.  If  a  team  is  behind,  and  is 
in  its  own  territory,  it  is  quite  proper  for  it  to 
indulge  in  plays  involving  risks,  such  as  for- 
ward passes  and  tricks,  in  the  hope  that  one 
play  will  take  them  to  a  more  advantageous 
position.  The  quarterback  should  also  use  his 
formations  to  threaten  more  than  one  kind  of 
play,  i.  e.,  kick,  run,  or  pass.  He  can  also  utilize 
his  star  back  by  putting  him  in  the  kicker's 
position  for  this  same  purpose,  but  he  should 
always  endeavor  to  play  to  the  opponent's  weak- 
est point,  varying  his  attack  at  this  point  by 
manipulating  his  various  plays  and  formations 
to  assault  this  weakness  in  different  ways. 

That  the  reader  may  in  some  fashion  visualize 
the  probable  results  of  the  various  kinds  of  plays, 
the  following  table,  which  does  not  pretend  to  be 
accurate,  but  simply  approximates  the  relative 

[161] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

percentage   of  gains   of  plays   of  the  various 
kinds,  is  appended: 

Plunges : — 

Should  gain  two  yards,  three  times  out  of 
four.     On  other  attempt,  no  gain. 

Slants : — 

Should  gain  two  and  one-half  yards,  three 
times  out  of  four.  On  other  attempt,  one 
yard  loss. 

Sweeps : — 

Should  gain  five  yards  two  times  out  of  four. 
Third  attempt,  no  gain ;  fourth  attempt,  two 
yards  loss. 

Forward  Pass: — 

Should  gain  ten  yards  one  time  out  of  four. 
On  two  other  attempts,  will  be  incomplete 
resulting  in  no  gain,  on  the  other  try  inter- 
cepted by  defense  causing  lost  ball. 

Punts : — 

Should  average  thirty  five  to  forty  yards 
net. 

Drop  Kicks: — 

Of  all  kicks,  an  equal  number  of  which  are 
tried  from  the  twenty-five,  thirty,  thirty-five 
and  forty  yard  lines,  fifty  per  cent,  should 
score. 

[162] 


THE  ATTACK 

Placements  from  free  kick: — 

Of  all  kicks,  an  equal  number  of  which  are 
tried  from  the  twenty-five,  thirty,  thirty- 
five,  and  forty  yard  lines,  seventy-five  per 
cent,  should  score. 
These  figures  are  used  simply  for  the  purpose 
of  demonstrating  the  relative  value  of  the  vari- 
ous plays.  In  other  words,  if  the  offense  must 
gain  two  and  one-half  yards  in  one  try  to  make 
a  first  down,  the  percentage,  according  to  the 
table,  is  in  favor  of  employing  a  slant.  To  illus- 
trate again,  it  is  easily  seen  that  an  employment 
of  plunges  from  a  team's  twenty  yard  line  to  the 
opposing  goal  line  is  hardly  practicable,  because 
the  risk  of  penalties  and  fumbles  is  ever  present, 
and  the  defense  would  soon  find  that  because  no 
other  plays  were  being  used  they  could  concen- 
trate their  entire  strength  on  a  narrow  front. 
Better  judgment  would  utilize  plays  which  might 
gain  greater  distance  and  in  this  way  arrive  at 
scoring  distance  with  less  effort  and  in  a  shorter 
space  of  time. 

There  has  always  been  mystery  as  to  why  the 
tackle  is  so  frequently  attacked.  It  should  be 
kept  in  mind  that  the  tackle  has  to  cover  a  great 
deal  of  ground  laterally  on  either  side  of  his 

[163] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

position.  The  offense  usually  so  arrange  their 
linemen  as  to  have  one  man  directly  engaged 
with  him  and  another  on  his  outside  flank.  It 
so  happens  that  plays  run  from  standard  form- 
ations against  tackle  utilize  all  of  the  backfield 
except  the  runner  to  best  advantage  as  inter- 
ferers.  In  the  case  of  a  plunge,  one  and  some- 
times two  of  the  backfield  are  wasted.  Further- 
more, plays  at  tackle  reach  the  line  of  scrimmage 
quickly  enough  to  prevent  many  of  the  defense 
coming  to  his  rescue.  Last,  as  has  been  inti- 
mated, it  is  good  policy  not  to  vary  the  attack  on 
a  given  point  provided  a  sufficient  assortment 
of  plays  can  be  used.  It  so  happens  that  the 
strongest  type  of  plays  can  all  be  used  against 
the  opposing  tackle  position.  For  this  reason 
quarterbacks  are  prone  to  use  plays  directed 
at  this  position,  not  only  because  of  the  inherent 
strength  of  the  plays  themselves,  but  because  of 
the  physical  effect  upon  the  tackle  in  question. 


[164] 


VIII 
THE  DEFENSE 

THE  WORD  ^'defense"  is  psychologically 
poor,  in  that  it  implies  that  the  team  is 
defending  itself  against  an  attack.  If 
some  phrase  could  be  invented  which  would  de- 
note that  a  team  is  not  defending  itself  but  is 
constantly  striving  to  take  the  ball  away  from  its 
opponent,  it  would  more  adequately  express  the 
proper  mental  attitude  of  a  team  not  in  posses- 
sion of  the  ball. 

Generally  speaking,  the  theory  of  all  defense 
against  a  running  attack  is  to  drive  the  runner 
toward  center,  as  quickly  as  possible.  In  this 
way  the  attack  is  confined  to  a  definite  small  ter- 
ritory. The  salient  principle  of  defense  against 
the  forward  pass  is  for  the  line  to  force  the  passer 
to  get  rid  of  the  ball  quickly.  This  pressure  dis- 
turbs the  accuracy  of  the  pass,  and  often  so  hur- 
ries it  that  the  receivers  have  not  sufficient  time 
to  get  into  their  proper  receiving  positions. 
Against'  a  kick,  the  line  is  again  called  upon 

[165] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

to  hurry  the  kicker  on  all  occasions  and  to  block 
the  kick  if  possible;  but  to  avoid  committing 
themselves  so  thoroughly  to  these  objectives  that 
they  will  not  be  ready  for  any  other  kind  of 
play  which  may  transpire. 

In  the  several  methods  of  defense,  there  are 
again  two  schools,  one  of  which  believes  that  the 
men  from  tackle  to  tackle  should  stand  squarely 
on  their  feet,  but  low  enough  to  meet  the  charge 
of  the  offensive  linesmen.  At  the  snap  of  the 
ball  they  should  advance  against  their  opponents 
with  their  hands  on  their  opponents'  bodies.  In 
this  position  they  are  ready  to  continue  their 
advance,  but  should  always  diagnose  the  nature 
of  the  play  before  committing  themselves  to  any 
one  direction. 

The  other  school  believes  that  these  same  men 
should  assume  a  crouching  position,  with  both 
hands  on  the  ground.  When  the  ball  is  snapped 
these  players  should  charge  into  the  spaces  be- 
tween the  opponents  opposite  them.  In  this 
way  they  are  supposed  to  fill  various  chinks 
between  the  opponents,  and  also  to  carry  them 
back  into  the  offensive  play.  Against  plunging 
types  of  plays  this  method  is  stronger  than  the 
other;   but   it  has   the   great   disadvantage   of 

[166] 


THE  DEFENSE 

committing  the  players  in  a  given  direction, 
irrespective  of  the  nature  of  the  play,  and  is  also 
further  faulty  because  the  players  cannot  see 
the  impending  play,  nor  diagnose  it  as  quickly  as 
if  they  were  in  the  upright  position  and  could  use 
their  hands  to  ward  off  their  opponents. 

Pitted  against  a  close  formation,  the  defense 
really  need  seven  players  on  the  line  of  scrim- 
mage. To  be  sure,  this  arrangement  leaves  the 
backfield  somewhat  weak  against  forward  passes, 
but  on  close  analysis  the  offense  can,  by  using 
certain  of  the  backfield  as  buffers  against  the 
defensive  ends,  bring  all  of  their  linemen  to  bear 
on  the  remaining  five  defense.  More  often  they 
bring  five  against  three,  and  at  the  apex  of  a 
plunge  there  are  apt  tc  be  three  against  one  de- 
fensive player. 

As  has  been  stated  it  is  the  duty  of  the  ends  to 
hem  in  an  impending  sweep  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible. To  accomplish  this  they  cross  the  line  of 
scrimmage  on  the  snap  of  the  ball  and  aim  at  the 
outside  interferer  in  order  to  drive  the  runner  in 
where  the  tackle  can  get  at  him.  As  the  offense 
usually  detail  two  interferers  against  the  end, 
he  must  be  careful  not  to  get  pinched  between 
them,    thus    allowing    the    runner    an    outside 

[167] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

course.  The  best  method  of  preventing  this  is 
to  use  one  hand  on  each  of  the  interferers.  In 
this  way  the  end  keeps  free  from  the  shock  of 
the  interferers'  blow.  He  must  also  keep  his 
feet,  else  the  runner  will  certainly  flank  him. 
All  told,  this  two  against  one  battle  is  always 
worth  watching. 

MeanwhiL  the  tackle  is  doing  his  best  to  come 
to  the  rescue  of  his  hard-pressed  end,  but  the 
offense  before  the  ball  is  snapped  are  apt  so  to 
maneuvre  an  end,  especially  when  a  loose  forma- 
tion is  used,  as  to  be  well  on  the  outside  of  the 
tackle  in  question.  Consequently  unless  the 
tackle  is  clever  with  hands  and  feet  he  will  be 
"boxed"  by  this  nimble  end,  who  is  re-inforced  at 
the  critical  moment  by  more  interference  from 
the  backfield. 

The  guards  and  center  are  usually  outdis- 
tanced on  a  play  of  this  nature  but  the  secondary 
defense  are  sure  to  play  an  important  role,  in  case 
both  end  and  tackle  are  vanquished.  Although 
he,  too,  is  usually  menaced  by  other  offensive 
players  he  enjoys  the  great  advantage  of  a  rov- 
ing position,  thus  making  it  difficult  for  the  in- 
terference to  locate  him  consistently  and  with 
precision.     Furthermore,  because  of  the  direc- 

[168] 


THE  DEFENSE 

tion  of  the  play  he  meets  both  interferers  and 
runner  obliquely,  at  which  angle  it  is  easy  for 
him  to  deal  an  effective  blow.  All  told  then,  on 
plays  of  this  nature  he  is  in  the  great  majority 
of  cases  the  salvation  of  the  defense  and  the 
thorn  in  the  flesh  of  the  offense. 

On  plunges  and  slants  directed  inside  of 
tackle,  there  results  a  mighty  conflict  between 
opposing  linemen.  Of  course  the  brunt  of  the 
battle  comes  on  the  two  defense  between  whom 
the  play  is  aimed.  But  players  removed  even 
two  "holes"  away  can,  by  a  vicious  charge  and  a 
side  lunge,  often  tackle  the  runner  before  he 
reaches  the  line.  Conversely  the  offense  must 
always  lend  lateral  support  even  to  plays  of  a 
plunging  nature. 

The  cardinal  principles  of  defensive  line  play 
in  contending  against  a  gruelling  attack  are  to 
meet  the  offensive  charge  in  a  position  strong 
enough  to  prevent  being  pushed  back  and  at  the 
same  time  to  diagnose  the  play  quickly  and  ac- 
curately enough  to  reach  the  "core"  of  the  play, 
i.  e.,  the  runner.  It  is  extremely  difficult  for 
the  average  spectator  to  see  and  understand  the 
fine  points  of  defensive  line  play,  and  it  would  be 
equally  difficult  to  describe  them  in  words.     Suf- 

[169] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

fice  it  to  state  that  good  line  play  is  of  vital  im- 
portance and  that,  granted  a  parity  in  all  other 
essential  factors,  a  very  slight  superiority  in  this 
one  department  is  sufficient  to  bring  victory  in 
the  great  majority  of  cases. 

When  opposed  to  an  open  or  kick  formation, 
the  defensive  line  are  still  called  upon  to  meet 
a  close-running  attack  minus  one  player  who  has 
assumed  a  position  ten  yards  back.  From  this 
position  he  threatens  sweeps  so  seriously  that 
both  ends  and  tackles  are  compelled  to  move  out- 
wardly. Furthermore,  the  backfield  needs  assis- 
tance to  cope  with  a  probable  kick  or  forward 
pass,  so  the  center  often  goes  to  their  aid,  thus 
leaving  the  spaces  between  the  various  linemen 
much  wider  than  when  lined  up  against  a  close 
formation.  Hence  each  lineman  has  to  cover 
more  ground  laterally  than  against  a  close 
formation.  In  1914,  during  the  game  against 
Yale,  the  Harvard  team,  with  a  kicker  in 
position  for  a  drop  kick,  executed  seven  con- 
secutive plays,  all  of  which  were  directed  at 
points  which  were  successively  exposed  by  dif- 
ferent members  of  the  Yale  team  in  their  anxiety 
to  prevent  the  drop  kick  which  was  never  played. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  question  might 

[170] 


THE  DEFENSE 

well  be  raised,  as  to  why  the  offense  do  not  always 
assume  an  open  formation.  In  answer,  although 
the  player  in  kicker's  position  does  cause  a  widen- 
ing of  the  defensive  line  so  that  they  can  be  in 
better  position  to  block  a  kick  and  cope  with 
sweeps  as  well,  yet  the  removal  of  the  player 
in  question  robs  the  offense  of  an  interferer  who 
in  a  close  formation  is  of  vital  importance. 
Again,  unless  the  quarterback  fills  in  the  posi- 
tion vacated  by  the  kicker,  many  strong  plays 
cannot  be  used,  and  if  he  is  removed  from  under 
center  several  other  plays  of  equal  value  must 
be  sacrificed.  In  either  case  the  backfield  (those 
still  remaining  in  close  formation)  lacks  sufficient 
weight  to  supply  the  necessary  "punch"  to  make 
line  plays  consistently  successful. 

Furthermore,  the  defense  are  always  alive  to 
the  tactical  situation,  i.  e.,  the  down  and  distance 
to  be  gained,  so  that  they  do  often  anticipate  the 
nature  of  the  ensuing  play  and  take  position  ac- 
cordingly. Therefore  although  a  great  variety 
of  tactics  may  be  employed  from  the  open  form- 
ation which  stretches  the  defense  in  width  and 
depth,  yet  by  taking  flexible  positions  with  re- 
spect to  the  probable  play,  the  defense  are  able  to 
cope  with  it. 

[171] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

The  duties  and  theories  of  defensive  backfield 
play  are  so  numerous  and  complex,  especially 
against  forward  passes,  that  the  author  feels  the 
reader  can  best  refer  to  the  descriptions  with  ref- 
erence to  the  diagrams  A,  B,  C,  and  D,  at  the 
end  of  Chapter  I.  The  diagrams  show  the  chief 
formations  for  a  defense  against  close,  open, 
loose  and  wide  formations,  but  perhaps  a  few 
words  should  be  added  regarding  a  defense 
against  an  offensive  wide  formation. 

The  mere  fact  that  two  or  three  of  the  offensive 
team  are  stationed  across  the  field  some  ten  or 
fifteen  yards  usually  strikes  terror  to  the  hearts 
of  the  defense.  In  fact,  the  author  knows  of 
coaches  who  believe  that  twelve  men  are  neces- 
sary to  cover  the  ground  against  the  various 
plays  which  can  be  launched  from  this  formation. 
There  is  no  question  but  that  the  defense  are 
stretched,  both  in  width  and  depth,  and  that 
over-emphasis  to  meet  a  forward  pass  lays  the 
defense  open  to  an  effective  running  game.  But 
this  has  its  compensations:  (1)  When  two  or 
three  men  are  removed  fifteen  or  twenty  yards 
away  from  the  rest  of  the  team,  its  close  running 
attack  against  the  opposing  line  is  materially 
weakened.     (2)  Defensive  ends  can  become  half - 

[172] 


THE  DEFENSE 

backs  by  dropping  out  and  off  the  line  of  scrim- 
mage as  drawn  in  the  diagram.  From  this  po- 
sition they  can  still  stop  end  runs  with  the  help 
of  their  tackles,  who  are  now  not  flanked  by 
offensive  men,  and  can  also  cover  what  are 
termed  lateral  passes.  (3)  Wingbacks,  re- 
lieved of  their  duty  against  forward  passes  of 
this  nature,  can  play  their  positions  normally. 
(4)  If  two  defensive  backs  are  placed  at  full 
distance,  say  twenty  to  twentj^-five  yards,  they 
can  cover  all  long  passes  as  they  do  punts,  be- 
cause the  longer  the  pass  the  more  time  the  de- 
fense have  to  get  to  it.  For  this  reason  such 
plays  are  seldom  successful  and  are  bound  to  be 
haphazard  in  results. 

Besides  the  standard  defenses  which  have  been 
mentioned,  some  teams,  when  driven  within 
their  own  ten  yard  line,  adopt  certain  defensive 
tactics  which  for  want  of  a  better  name  may  be 
termed  a  goal  line  defense.  It  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that  the  offense  when  they  reach  this 
territory  are  somewhat  averse  to  using  wide 
sweeps  on  the  first  two  or  three  tries  for  fear  of 
incurring  losses.  Rather  do  they  tend  toward 
obtaining  the  coveted  first  down  through  the 
medium  of  powerful  plunges  and  slants. 

[173] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

To  combat  this  "savage  attack"  the  defense 
contract  the  length  of  the  scrimmage  line  and 
move  a  wingback  into  the  second  line  of  defense, 
thus  re-inforcing  both  tackle  positions.  The 
fourth  line,  usually  the  quarterback,  takes  the 
place  of  the  wingback  just  removed,  thus  ap- 
parently leaving  ten  yards  of  territory  beyond 
the  goal  line  exposed  to  forward  passes.  Again, 
the  reader  must  bear  in  mind  that  if  a  forward 
pass  is  "grounded"  within  this  narrow  space,  it 
constitutes  a  touchback  and  the  ball  becomes 
the  property  of  the  opponents  on  their  twenty 
yard  line.  It  is  only  necessary  for  the  defense 
to  bat  a  forward  pass  to  the  ground  to  accom- 
plish this  result.  Therefore,  when  a  play  of  this 
nature  is  attempted  the  defensive  backfield  sim- 
ply follow  the  various  possible  receivers  with  the 
sole  object  of  spoiling  the  play  for  them.  Being 
relieved  of  any  idea  of  catching  the  ball  them- 
selves, they  are  the  better  able  to  fulfill  this  as- 
signment. 

There  are,  of  course,  many  variations  not  only 
in  all  the  defensive  formations  mentioned  but  in 
the  tactics  employed.  To  illustrate,  when  it  is 
assumed  the  opponents  are  going  to  punt,  the 
usual  assignment  of  the  defensive  line  is  to  force 

[174] 


THE  DEFENSE 

a  development  of  the  .play,  and  with  this  in 
mind  all  seven  linemen  endeavor  to  get  at  the 
kicker's  foot  as  quickly  as  possible.     Quite  dif- 
ferent tactics  are  sometimes  used  if  the  opposing 
kicker  gets  his  punts  away  very  quickly  and 
when  the  tactical  situation  is  such  that  a  kick  will 
in  all  probability  ensue.     Instead  of  trying  to 
block  the  kick,  the  defense  now  devote  their  at- 
tention to  preventing  the  offensive  line  from  get- 
ting downfield  to  cover  the  punt.     Each  player 
from  tackle  to  tackle  blocks  the  offensive  player 
opposite  him.     In  order  to  check  the  ends,  espe- 
cially if  they  take  wide  positions,  it  is  necessary 
for  the  defensive  ends  to  drop  back  about  five 
yards  from  the  scrimmage  line.     When  the  ball 
is  snapped  they  must  judge  quickly  whether  or 
not  a  sweep  will  ensue,  and  thereafter  devote 
their  efforts  toward  impeding  the  offensive  ends. 
They  are  soon  joined  by  their  wingbacks,  so  that 
each  offensive  end  has  to  contend  with  two  ad- 
versaries.    It  can  readily  be  seen  that  when  such 
methods  are  used,  the  catcher  of  the  punt  has  a 
better  chance  of  running  back  the  kick,  or  if  he 
muff  it,  he  has  more  time  and  opportunity  to 
recover  it. 

Old-time  players  are  prone  to  believe  that 

[175] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

present-day  tackling  is  far  inferior  to  that  which 
prevailed  when  they  were  in  college.  It  is  true 
that  today  not  nearly  as  much  time  is  given  to 
the  teaching  and  practice  of  tackling  as  formerly. 
It  can't  be,  because  many  other  equally  impor- 
tant departments  of  the  game  must  have  their 
full  share  of  attention. 

These  critics  do  not  realize  how  much  the  art 
of  interference  has  developed.  In  the  old  days 
interference  was  placed  ahead  of  the  runner  and 
the  defense  could  see  what  they  had  to  contend 
with.  Today,  in  addition  to  this  there  is  added 
a  flanking  interference  which  comes  from  un- 
expected quarters.  This  is  especially  true  with 
respect  to  the  second  and  third  lines  of  defense, 
who  often  are  set  for  frontal  interference,  when 
without  warning  they  are  sideswiped  from  the 
flank  by  a  lineman  whom  they  never  even  saw 
approaching. 

This  practice  constitutes  a  bone  of  contention 
among  the  rule  makers,  who  must  see  that  tactics 
which  endanger  the  welfare  of  the  players  are 
curbed,  and  who  must  at  the  same  time  preserve 
practical  methods  of  merit. 

Another  phase  of  the  game  of  today  which  did 
not  exist  in  the  "good  old  days  of  yore"  is  the 

[176] 


THE  DEFENSE 

quick  defensive  adjustment  necessitated  by  an 
unexpected  forward  pass.  Even  against  the 
simplest  form  of  forward  pass  the  defense  are  un- 
certain for  some  time  as  to  the  ultimate  direction 
and  speed  necessary  to  prevent  the  successful 
completion  of  the  play.  Added  to  this  uncer- 
tainty is  the  player's  further  indecision  whether 
to  try  for  the  ball  or  the  opponent  after  he  has 
caught  it.  His  final  decision  which  often  neces- 
sitates change  of  action,  must  be  almost  instan- 
taneous, with  the  result  that  he  is  often  found  in 
an  awkward  position  at  the  moment  when  he  is 
called  upon  to  perform  a  skillful  act,  i.  e.,  tackle 
the  runner.  No  wonder  he  does  not  tackle  as 
low  as  his  father  did  in  1890,  nor  with  that 
deadly  precision,  for  he  has  not  time  for  either. 


[177] 


IX 
A  GAME  IN  DETAIL 

IN  ORDER  to  make  the  subject  more  realis- 
tic, the  author  will  now  describe  a  hypothet- 
ical game  between  two  teams  of  about  equal 
strength,  which  have  been  trained  along  similar 
lines  of  offensive  and  defensive  strategy.  It  is 
impossible  for  any  one  individual  to  see  all  that 
happens  during  a  football  game.  It  is,  however, 
entirely  possible  for  him  to  understand  every^ 
thing  that  occurs,  and  through  this  knowledge, 
by  anticipating  what  will  probably  occur,  see  a 
great  deal  more  than  otherwise.  It  is  in  this 
frame  of  mind  that  the  reader  should  follow  this 
description  which  illustrates  many  events  which 
usually  happen  during  a  football  game,  and  hav- 
ing thus  familiarized  himself  with  them  it  is  the 
author's  sincere  hope  that  he  will  derive  more  en- 
joyment from  the  actual  contests  which  he  wit- 
nesses. 

First  period.     The  opening  play  is  called  the 
"kick-off,"  and  among  the  rules  relating  to  it  is 
[178] 


A  GAME  IN  DETAIL 

one  which  states  that  the  side  winning  the  toss 
of  the  coin  has  the  choice  of  either  defending  one 
goal  or  of  kicking  off  themselves:  On  the  day 
of  this  game  a  strong  wind  is  blowing  directly 
down  the  field,  so  that  our  team,  having  won  the 
toss,  naturally  elects  to  defend,  during  the  first 
period,  the  windward  goal.  The  enemy  kick  off 
from  their  forty  yard  line  to  our  twenty  yard 
line.  Our  team  immediately  lines  up  in  kick 
formation,  which  has  a  tendency  to  spread  the 
opponents'  line  because  they  fear  an  end  run 
by  the  player  standing  in  the  kicker's  position. 
Having  thus  threatened  a  sweep  and  a  kick,  our 
team  tries  what  is  called  a  fake  kick  which  in  this 
case  consists  of  a  plimge  straight  ahead  through 
the  widened  gap  between  the  opposing  guards. 
It  does  not  make  an  appreciable  gain.  We  line 
up  again  in  the  same  formation  and  this  time 
execute  a  beautiful  punt  of  forty-five  yards, 
which  carries  to  our  opponents'  thirty-five  yard 
line,  where  the  receiver  is  downed  in  his  tracks. 
The  enemy  try  three  rushes,  which  gain  eight 
yards,  so  that  it  is  fourth  down  and  two  yards 
to  go  to  establish  a  first  down.  Fearful  of  not 
gaining  the  required  distance  in  the  one  remain- 
ing rush,  they  wisely  kick  to  our  twenty-seven 

[179] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

yard  line  where  the  catcher  is  thrown  near  the 
side  lines.  We  now  run  a  play  toward  the  mid- 
dle of  the  field,  which  is  called  a  position  play, 
for  it  is  unwise  to  punt  when  the  ball  is  too  near 
the  side  lin'es,  and  although  this  play  gains  a 
good  six  yards  yet  because  of  the  favoring  wind 
we  punt  on  our  second  down  to  our  opponents' 
twenty-five  yard  line  where  again  the  runner  is 
tackled  without  gain. 

The  enemy  are  now  in  a  difficult  position,  in 
that  they  realize  thailt  they  will  be  outpunted,  yet 
they  dare  not  try  any  forward  passes  or  trick 
plays.  After  futile  attempts  to  gain  by  rushing, 
they  punt,  this  time  to  our  forty  yard  line,  where 
the  ball  rolls  out  of  bounds. 

Our  team,  after  nmning  two  plays  from  a 
close  formation,  changes  to  an  open  formation, 
and  because  we  have  been  kicking,  our  opponents' 
line  again  widens,  this  time  in  order  to  have  a 
better  chance  at  blocking  our  punt.  Where- 
upon our  quarterback,  taking  the  ball  himself, 
slips  through  between  left  guard  and  tackle  for 
first  down  at  midfield. 

We  now  have  a  wider  choice  of  plays,  be- 
cause even  if  a  fumble  does  occur  it  will  not  be  as 
disastrous  as  if  the  ball  were  deeper  in  our  own 

[180] 


A  GAME  IN  DETAIL 

territory.  After  two  plays  our  quarterback 
orders  what  is  called  a  criss-cross  run  (Plate 
IX),  a  play  which  starts  in  one  direction  and 
which,  by  the  passage  of  the  ball  from  one  player 
to  another,  develops  in  the  opposite  direction. 
In  this  case,  our  opponents'  right  end  is  com- 
pletely fooled  and  we  outflank  him  for  twenty 
yards,  making  a  first  down  on  the  opponents' 
thirty  yard  line.  On  third  down  with  six  yards 
to  go,  we  try  a  forward  pass,  which  is  incomplete, 
i.  e.,  the  ball  strikes  the  ground  before  any  player 
can  catch  it.  The  penalty  for  this  is  another 
down,  making  fourth  down  and  six  yards  to  go. 
There  is  little  chance  to  gain  this  distance  by  a 
rush,  so  we  attempt  a  drop  kick  which  just  misses 
its  mark.  Except  for  this  mistake  each  move 
has  so  far  been  according  to  Hoyle  and  may  be 
likened  to  the  opening  plays  of  a  chess  match. 

A  touchback  has  resulted  from  our  try  at  goal, 
and  the  ball  is  now,  according  to  the  rules,  put  in 
play,  with  the  enemy  in  possession  of  the  ball,  on 
their  twenty  yard  line.  As  the  ball  is  snapped 
for  their  fourth  play  one  of  our  team  is  declared 
offside,  which  penalizes  us  five  yards  and  gives  a 
first  down  to  our  opponents.  This  was  a  bad 
mistake  on  our  part  because  it  allows  our  oppo- 

[181] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

nents  to  start  their  rushing  game  again  from  a 
first  down.  Encouraged  to  continue  their  i^ush- 
ing  tactics,  the  enemy  make  material  distance, 
but  on  second  down,  with  six  yards  to  go,  are 
finally  checked  for  a  two-yard  loss.  In  spite  of 
this  they  try  another  rush,  fumble  the  ball,  and 
one  of  our  players  promptly  drops  on  it. 

Here  is  a  point  where  the  opponents'  quarter- 
back should  be  justly  criticised,  for  with  third 
down  and  eight  yards  to  go  he  had  little  chance 
of  gaining  the  required  distance  in  the  next  two 
tries.  Had  he  kicked  on  this  down,  say  a  punt  of 
thirty  yards,  the  ball  would  have  carried  to  our 
thirty  yard  line.  However,  the  damage  is  done. 
This  kind  of  a  mistake,  when  the  usual  scheme 
of  play  is  marred  by  an  error  of  commission  or 
omission  of  one  of  the  players,  is  called  a 
"break." 

The  ball  is  now  ours  on  our  opponents'  thirty- 
five  yard  line  with  materially  strengthened  mor- 
ale as  the  result  of  our  good  fortune.  Conse- 
quently, as  often  happens  under  similar  circum- 
stances, our  offense  get  going,  and  in  two  rushes 
we  make  first  down  on  their  twenty-five  yard 
line.  Three'  more  rushes  carry  the  ball  to  the 
fifteen  yard  line,  but  it  take  four  tries  to  make 

[182] 


A  GAME  IN  DETAIL 

the  next  first  down  on  the  opponents'  five  yard 
line.  *'It  certainly  looks  bad"  for  the  defense, 
except  that  a&  a  team  is  driven  toward  its  own 
goal  line  it  automatically  strengthens  like  a  spiral 
steel  spring,  with  the  goal  line  for  its  base.  On 
our  first  try  a  fumble  occurs,  as  the  ball  is  passed 
from  center  to  our  quarterback,  who  luckily  re- 
covers it  with  a  half -yard  loss.  The  next  play, 
a  slant  over  our  opponents'  right  tackle,  is  splen- 
didly executed,  and  results  in  a  three-yard  gain. 
Third  down.  The  following  play  carries  the 
ball  within  two  yards  of  the  goal  line.  Fourth 
down. 

What  would  you  do  were  you  in  the  quarter- 
back's place?  Remember  that  as  we  approached 
the  goal  line  each  succeeding  first  down  was 
gained  with  greater  effort.  The  enemy's  line  is 
greatly  reinforced  by  two  halfbacks  who  have 
stationed  themselves  directly  behind  their  two 
tackles.  The  flanks  are  also  strengthened  by 
two  wingbacks  who,  because  the  forward  pass 
zone  is  restricted  to  ten  yards  beyond  the  goal 
line,  take  position  much  nearer  the  scrimmage 
line  than  usual.  All  things  considered,  the 
chances  seem  to  be  against  our  scoring  by  a  rush 
or  a  forward  pass,  and  in  favor  of  a  drop  kick. 

[183] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

Like  a  flash  our  quarterback  makes  his  choice, 
decides  upon  a  kick  which  he  performs  himself, 
and  three  points  are  credited  to  us. 

The  enemy  again  kick  off  from  the  forty 
yard  line.  The  wind  has  increased  in  velocity 
so  that  although  a  splendid  runback  carries  the 
ball  to  our  own  thirty  yard  line  a  punt  is  straight- 
way called  for,  and  is  beautifully  executed, 
high  and  so  well  directed  away  from  the  oppos- 
ing backfield  that  the  ball  bounces  on  the  ground 
and  rolls  merrily  along  to  our  opponents'  twenty 
yard  line.  A  beautiful  play  and  well  timed  for, 
as  the  opponents  are  lining  up,  time  is  up  for  the 
first  quarter. 

Let  us  pause  for  one  minute  with  the  players, 
who  now  change  goals,  while  we  summarize  what 
has  happened. 

Summary — The  wind  allowed  us,  in  two  ex- 
changes  of  punts,  to  gain  from  our  own  twenty 
yard  liner,  to  our  forty  yard  line,  where  we  were 
able  to  bring  full  force  and  variety  of  attack  into 
play.  However,  we  were  checked  after  a  good 
advafnce,  on  our  opponents'  twenty-five  yard  line 
and  missed  an  opportunity  to  score  by  field  goal. 
The  enemy,  always  deep  in  their  own  territory, 
tried  to  play  safe,  were  helped  once  by  our  off- 

[184] 


A  GAME  IN  DETAIL 

side,  but  made  the  fatal  mistake  of  trying  to 
rush  too  far,  especially  when  it  was  third  down, 
eight  yards  to  go  on  their  own  thirty-eight  yard 
line.  The  resulting  fmnble  gave  us  a  golden  op- 
portunity, of  which  we  took  full  advantage  and 
advanced  thirty  yards.  Our  touchdown  was 
probably  lost  on  account  of  a  fumble  occurring. 
As  slight  compensation  three  points  were  scored 
by  a  goal  from  the  field.  A  splendid  punt  by 
our  kicker  at  the  close  of  the  period  again  put 
the  enemy  in  a  bad  position,  from  which  they 
were  saved  by  time. 

Second  period.  On  the  opening  play,  with 
the  enemy  in  possession  of  the  ball  on  their 
own  twenty  yard  line,  our  line  makes  the 
mistake  of  committing  itself  too  thoroughly  to 
a  threatened  punt,  instead  of  which  there  ensues 
a  sweep,  which  gains  some  twenty  yards.  In 
spite  of  this  success,  the  enemy,  who  want  to 
put  us  deep  in  our  own  territory,  elect  a  punt, 
which  is  too  low  for  their  ends  to  cover.  Our 
back,  who  catches-  on  his  own  twenty  yard  line, 
runs  a  good  fifteen  yards  before  being  tackled. 
It  is  a  pretty  dash,  during  which  the  runner  uses 
what  is  called  the  "straight-arm"  on  two  oppon- 
ents, before  he  is  finally  tackled  by  a  third.     We 

[185] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

cannot  gain  by  rushing,  and  a  poor  kick  to  only 
mid-field  follows,  giving  the  enemy  a  long- 
sought-for  opportmiity  to  swing  their  offense 
into  play.  Crash!  Bang!  To  our  twenty-five 
yard  line.  From  this  point  their  second  rush 
gains  enough  ground  to  give  them  a  first  down, 
but  the  umpire  detects  holding  and  penalizes 
them  fifteen  yards,  making  it  third  down  on  the 
forty  yard  line  with  twenty-five  yards  to  gain. 
Many  a  championship  game  has  been  lost  by 
such  an  occurrence.  They  now  try  a  long  for- 
ward pass,  which  is  incomplete.  Believing  that 
the  play  should  have  been  successful,  they  try  it 
again,  but  our  backfield  purposely  bat  the  ball  to 
the  ground  on  our  ten  yard  line.  As  this  was 
attempted  on  the  fourth  down,  the  rules  give  the 
ball  to  us  at  the  point  from  which  the  play  was 
attempted.  In  other  words,  on  our  forty  yard 
line.  Thus  by  batting  instead  of  catching  the 
ball,  our  team  gains  thirty  valuable  yards. 

It  is  apparent  that  we  cannot  hold  our  own 
in  the  kicking  game  against  the  wind,  and  as  our 
opponents  are  rather  anticipating  the  rushing 
game  we  try  a  forward  pass  on  the  second  down, 
which  is  successful  for  a  ten  yard  gain.  Em- 
boldened by  this  success  we  try  the  same  type  of 

[186] 


A  GAME  IN  DETAIL 

play  two  downs  later,  but  one  of  the  enemy's 
wingbaeks  this  time  intercepts  the  pass  and  runs 
to  our  thirteen  yard  line  before  he  is  finally 
thrown.  This  play  is  typical  of  a  forward  pass 
which  goes  wrong;  it  often  acts  as  a  boomerang 
and  instead  of  a  successful  gain  sometimes  re- 
sults, as  in  this  case,  in  a  fearful  loss.  The 
enemy  line  up  and  in  four  plays  make  first 
down  on  our  three  yard  line.  Our  defense  is 
incapable  of  withstanding  the  onslaught  and  they 
score  on  the  fourth  attempt  from  our  half -yard 
line.  In  these  last  eight  plays,  the  strength  of 
their  attack  lay  in  the  superior  "charge"  of  their 
line.  Although  the  gains  were  short  there  was 
no  slip  and  consequently  a  touchdown  resulted 
and  a  goal  was  kicked,  making  the  score  7  to  3 
in  the  enemy's  favor. 

Toward  the  end  of  this  period  by  the  aid  of 
the  wind,  the  enemy  were  able  to  place  a  punt 
across  the  sideline  at  our  nine  yard  line.  With 
less  than  two  minutes  of  play  we  endeavored  to 
advance  by  rushing,  but  on  fourth  down  were 
forced  to  kick.  We  should  have  tried  to  punt 
across  the  side  line,  but  instead  a  "free  catch" 
was  made  on  our  forty-two  yard  line  from  which 
the  enemy  kicked  a  beautiful  goal  from  place- 

[187] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

ment,  making  the  score  10  to  3  in  the  enemy's 
favor.  Almost  immediately  after  time  was 
called  for  the  first  half. 

Smnmary.  A  feature  of  the  early  part  of 
this  period  was  the  manner  in  which  we  escaped 
from  dangerous  territory  on  three  occasions: 
first,  by  our  good  runback  of  a  punt,  second, 
through  the  penalty  inflicted  on  our  enemy  for 
holding,  third,  because  on  fourth  down  they  un- 
wisely chose  to  try  a  forward  pass,  which  was 
unsuccessful  and  resulted  in  the  surrender  of  the 
ball.  However,  we  soon  after  made  a  serious 
blunder  in  attempting  a  forward  pass  in  our  own 
territory,  which  being  intercepted  led  to  the 
first  score  for  the  enemy.  Again  we  should 
never  have  allowed  the  enemy  to  make  a  fair 
catch  with  so  little  play  time  remaining.  In 
other  words,  this  whole  period  was  character- 
ized by  bad  mistakes  by  both  teams. 

Third  period.  During  the  intermission,  which 
lasts  fifteen  minutes,  the  wind  died  down  appre- 
ciably so  that  when  our  team,  which  is  again 
playing  against  it,  kicks  off,  it  is  able  to  send 
the  ball  almost  to  the  enemy's  goal.  On  the  first 
play  our  opponents  quite  correctly  kick,  but  un- 
fortunately their  punter  twists  his  ankle,  and  is 

[188] 


A  GAME  IN  DETAIL 

forced  to  leave  the  field.  His  substitute  is  an 
inferior  kicker,  and  perceptibly  slower  in  the 
execution  of  his  kicks.  As  a  result,  the  enemy 
find  that  instead  of  being  able  to  punt  their 
way  out  of  danger  on  the  exchange  of  kicks,  they 
are  fighting  deep  in  their  own  territory;  and  to 
make  things  worse  the  next  kick  is  short,  the 
ball  going  to  us  at  midfield. 

Then  ensues  the  second  of  those  well-directed 
marches,  which  a  team  is  sometimes  able  to  make 
by  superhuman  effort,  when  the  score  is  against 
it.  Intermingling  change  of  direction  plays 
and  strong  line  plays,  with  one  forward  pass, 
which  started  like  a  rush,  our  quarterback  drives 
his  team  to  a  first  down  on  its  nine  yard  line, 
second  down  on  their  six  yard  line,  third  down 
on  the  four  yard  line,  fourth  down  with  only 
three  yards  to  the  goal  line  and  only  one  more 
try.  It  is  indeed  a  critical  situation.  Once 
again,  what  would  you  do  were  you  in  the  quar- 
terback's shoes?  Kick,  run,  or  pass?  In  making 
your  choice  please  remember  the  score  as  well 
as  other  factors.  Our  quarterback  orders  a  kick 
formation  and  so  places  the  rest  of  his  backfield 
that  the  best  protection  is  obtained  for  a  drop 
kick.     The  defense  are  determined  to  block  the 

[189] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

kick  and  as  the  ball  is  snapped  their  line  converge 
on  the  kicker's  foot.  He  makes  every  pretense 
of  kicking  but  at  the  last  moment  whirls  and  pas- 
ses the  ball  diagonally  forward  to  his  end,  who  is 
speeding  toward  the  side  Unes.  An  enemy  half- 
back has  sensed  the  play  and  just  as  the  ball  is 
caught  by  our  end  he  tackles  the  runner.  We 
fail  to  make  a  touchdown  by  less  than  a  half -yard. 

Even  now  the  enemy  are  not  "out  of  the 
woods/'  because  should  we  block  their  kick  we 
would  probably  score.  But  their  substitute 
kicker  punts  well.  Our  back  catches  the  ball  at 
the  thirty-five  yard  line  and  starts  to  run  in,  but 
when  fiercely  tackled  he  drops  the  ball  and  an  ad- 
versary recovers  it.  This  gives  our  opponents  a 
first  down  on  their  thirty  yard  line  and  the  mis- 
take constitutes  a  * 'break"  of  the  worst  sort. 
The  enemy  kick  at  once  to  our  twenty-five  yard 
line  so  that  in  two  plays  they  gain  seventy-five 
yards.  On  this  last  play,  in  making  his  tackle 
one  of  their  ends  is  badly  shaken  up  but  insists 
upon  resuming  play.  Still  somewhat  dazed  he 
is  unable  on  the  next  play  to  hold  off  the  inter- 
ference which  is  directed  against  him.  The 
runner,  seeing  the  tackle  is  well  boxed,  cuts  in. 
As  he  is  about  to  be  tackled  by  the  secondary 

[190] 


A  GAME  IN  DETAIL 

defense  another  interferer  comes  to  his  rescue. 
He  then  dodges  the  third  line  of  defense  and 
after  a  splendid  run  of  thirty-five  yards  is  forced 
out  of  bounds  by  the  one  remaining  defensive 
player.  This  gives  us  first  down  on  the  oppo- 
nents' forty  yard  line.  We  now  change  our 
tactics  and  try  three  long  forward  passes,  each 
of  which  is  incomplete.  On  the  fourth  down 
the  punter,  by  kicking  diagonally  across  the  field, 
tries  to  place  his  kick  outside,  near  the  oppo- 
nents' goal  line  but  the  defending  back  antici- 
pates his  move  and  intercepting  the  ball  runs  to 
his  thirty  yard  line  before  he  is  finally  tackled. 
Time  is  now  called,  and  in  the  one  minute  of 
rest  which  follows  the  teams  change  goals. 

Summary.  In  contrast  to  the  preceding 
period  this  quarter  was  marked  by  excellent 
play,  especially  our  offensive  march  of  forty- 
seven  yards  ending  in  a  failure  to  score  by  an 
eyelash.  To  be  sure,  that  fumble  of  ours  was 
a  bad  blemish,  but  the  long  run  directly  after, 
which  almost  scored,  compensated  greatly  by 
taking  us  out  of  our  own  territory.  Had  any 
of  the  long  forward  passes  been  completed  we 
should  have  tied  the  score. 

Fourth  period.    The  enemy  in  possession  of 

[191] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

the  ball  on  their  own  thirty  yard  line  try  two 
sweeps  from  a  kick  formation,  but  fail  to  gain. 
From  the  same  formation  our  ends  naturally 
think  he  is  going  to  punt  and  so  press  in  on  the 
kicker,  who  fakes  a  punt  and  then  starts  around 
the  exposed  flank.  Unfortunately  our  wing 
halfback  misses  his  tackle  so  that  the  runner 
continues  for  a  material  gain.  For  some  time 
afterwards,  the  ball  see-saws  up  and  down  the 
field  with  no  particular  advantage  gained  by 
either  side.  On  one  occasion  we  made  a  good  ad- 
vance by  forward  passes  from  a  spread  formation 
which  had  the  desired  result  of  weakening  the 
third  line  of  defense.  The  enemy  avert  a  sure 
score  by  intercepting  a  pass  just  as  our  end  is 
about  to  catoh  the  ball.  Later  on  from  third 
down  we  make  a  long  forward  pass  which 
strikes  the  ground  just  over  the  goal  line,  caus- 
ing a  touchback.  Perhaps  the  reader  may  criti- 
cise the  judgment  of  this  play,  but  keep  in  mind 
the  score  and  also  the  fact  that  had  t '  e  ball 
struck  within  the  field  of  play  it  would  hav^e  been 
an  incomplete  forward  pass  and  we  should  have 
had  another  down  left.  In  other  words  if  criti- 
cism is  to  be  made,  it  should  be  on  faulty  execu- 
tion rather  than  against  the  play  itself. 
[192] 


A  GAME  IN  DETAIL 

The  enemy  meanwhile  made  several  successful 
gains,  mostly  through  the  use  of  the  same  fake 
kick  which  they  employed  in  the  early  part  of 
this  period.  Finally  with  four  down  and  four 
yards  tof  go,  their  center  passes  so  poorly  to  the 
kicker  that  he  is  forced  to  forego  an  attempt  to 
kick,  is  compelled  to  run,  and  is  thrown  two 
yards  of  the  required  distance.  Thus  the  enemy 
are  held  for  downs,  and  we  obtain  possession  of 
the  ball  on  our  own  forty-five  yard  line. 

A  substitute  quarterback  for  our  team  is  now 
sent  in.  He  gives  a  simple  sounding  signal  and 
a  simple  plunge  follows,  without  gain.  Groans 
ensue  from  the  spectators,  who  of  course  are  look- 
ing for  a  desperate  trick  play,  but  before  they 
or  the  enemy  realize  it,  the  ball  is  again  put  in 
play  without  signal,  and  a  sweep  around  end  en- 
sues. The  runner  is  almost  free.  He  swerves 
near  the  side  line  and  dodging  the  last  defensive 
player  continues  across  the  enemy's  goal  line.  A 
touchdown!  The  referee,  however,  decides  that 
the  runner  stepped  on  the  side  line  at  the  thirty- 
five  yard  line  so  play  is  resumed  at  that  point. 
We  are  unable  to  gain,  so  on  fourth  down  a  drop 
kick  is  attempted.  This  is  partially  blocked  by 
the  opponents,  thus  putting  our  team  "onside," 

[193] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

and  eligible  to  recover  the  ball.  The  ball,  how- 
ever, continues  its  flight  and  rolls  over  the  goal 
line  where  one  of  our  players  falls  on  it. 
Another  touchdown !  But  no,  the  officials  rightly 
decide  that  the  impetus  which  caused  the  ball  to 
roll  over  the  goal  line  came  from  the  attacking 
side,  which  according  to  the  rules  makes  the  play 
a  touchback.  Had  our  player  been  able  to  reach 
the  ball  within  the  field  of  play  he  could  have  leg- 
ally retained  it.    Such  are  the  breaks  of  the  game. 

Our  team  is  naturally  almost  spent  after  these 
disappointments  and  as  the  enemy  line  up  on 
their  own  twenty  yard  line  our  captain  asks  how 
much  time  is  left.  We  can  see  by  the  scrutiny 
with  which  the  field  judge  looks  at  his  watch 
that  very  little  time  remains.  The  enemy  play 
three  times  slowly,  then  punt.  Up  to  this  time 
our  backfield  had  caught  every  kick  cleanly  but 
on  this  occasion,  because  the  sun  was  directly  in 
the  eyes  of  our  quarterback,  he  muffed  the  ball 
and  an  opponent  promptly  pounced  on  it.  It 
would  seem  that  "all  was  over  but  the  cheering." 

The  enemy  are  now  playing  with  such  deliber- 
ation that  our  captain  calls  for  "time  out"  and 
complains  to  the  referee.  In  preparation  for 
the  fourth  play  the  enemy  quarterback  repeats 

[194] 


A  GAME  IN  DETAIL 

his  signal  twice,  whereupon  the  referee  penal- 
izes his  team  two  yards  for  delaying  the  game, 
thus  making  fourth  down,  six  yards  to  go.  An 
end  is  now  substituted  on  our  team.  Very  de- 
liberately the  enemy  assume  a  kick  formation. 
The  signal  is  called  equally  deliberately,  but  the 
pass  to  the  kicker  which  is  a  trifle  high  unsettles 
his  stance.  Our  substitute  end,  with  but  one 
object  in  mind,  sweeps  in  and  blocks  the  ensuing 
punt.  The  ball  bounces  gaily  toward  the 
enemy's  goal.  Their  kicker  is  nearest  to  it  and 
just  as  he  is  preparing  to  throw  himself  on  it  one 
of  our  players  bumps  him  and  he  sprawls 
short  of  the  ball.  Comes  another  of  our  men, 
fumbles  the  ball  momentarily,  recovers  it  and  is 
off.  An  enemy  is  two  yards  from  him  and  as 
they  near  the  goal  line  he  dives  at  our  player  and 
throws  him,  but  together  they  slide  over  the  goal 
line.  Touchdown!  Pandemonium  lets  loose, 
but  to  tie  the  score  our  team  has  yet  to  make  one 
more  point.  We  therefore,  according  to  the  new 
rule,  line  up  our  opponents'  five  yard  line.  The 
best  drop  kicker  in  our  squad  is  sent  in.  He 
kicks  a  perfect  drop  goal  and  the  game  is  over. 
Summary.  From  the  beginning  of  this  period 
we  were  determined  to  upset  the  enemy's  kick- 

[195] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

ing  game,  which  had  faltered  after  their  substi- 
tute came  in,  but  when  our  line  committed 
themselves  to  blocking  opponents'  kicks  they 
uncovered  their  flanks  so  that  on  two  occasions 
the  enemy  turned  them  for  material  gains. 
Nevertheless,  by  pursuing  the  same  tactics  we 
forced  the  kicker  on  fourth  down  to  run,  thus 
gaining  possession  of  the  ball.  Finally,  when 
all  seemed  lost,  by  persisting  in  these  same  tac- 
tics, we  succeeded  in  gaining  our  object,  blocking 
a  punt  and  tying  the  score  as  the  result. 

As  a  whole,  this  game  may  appear  to  have 
been  raggedly  played,  but  an  analysis  shows  that 
there  were  fewer  errors  than  usually  happen  in 
a  well-played  game.  I  have  emphasized  these 
mistakes,  for  few  spectators  appreciate  either 
the  number  of  errors  which  occur  or  how  seri- 
ously they  handicap  the  offending  team.  Every 
coach  and  player  is  well  aware  of  the  importance 
of  playing  correct  football,  but  in  spite  of  their 
combined  efforts  mistakes  creep  into  the  play, 
and  mar  an  otherwise  perfect  performance.  So 
in  this  case,  as  each  team  made  approximately 
the  same  number  of  mistakes  and  showed  about 
equal  strength  in  the  various  other  departments 
of  the  game,  the  result  was  a  tie, 

[196] 


X 

THE  WHEREFORE  OF  FOOTBALL 

FOOTBALL,  of  necessity,  is  a  rough  and 
strenuous  game;  of  necessity,  because  as 
long  as  sturdy,  eager,  striving  youths 
ccmie  into  direct  bodily  contact,  more  or  less 
bumps  and  bruises  and  even  serious  injuries  are 
bound  to  result. 

President  Lowell  of  Harvard  says  of  the 
game  in  his  1921  report: 

"Although  the  severity  of  the  injuries  suffered 
and  especially  the  danger  to  life  have  been  ma- 
terially diminished  by  the  changes  in  the  rules 
made  a  dozen  years  ago,  football  remains  a  rough 
and  strenuous  sport  in  which  injuries  are  often 
received  that  impair  the  efficiency  of  the  players 
for  a  couple  of  weeks  or  more." 

Why  then  do  the  authorities  of  universities 
tolerate  this  sport,  and  parents  permit  their  sons 
to  participate? 

It  is,  of  course,  easy  to  understand  the  popu- 
larity of  the  game  with  the  spectator.     Ever 

[197] 


THE  WHEREFORE  OF  FOOTBALL 

and  anon,  the  arenas  of  contest  calling  for 
personal  contact  of  man  with  man  or  man  with 
beast,  and  involving  danger  and  risk  of  life,  have 
been  crowded  with  frenzied  spectators.  It  is 
also  easy  to  understand  the  outward  appeal  the 
game  has  to  youth.  Even  the  danger  and 
chance  of  injury  produce  a  certain  fascination 
which  alone  furnish  football  teams  with  many 
recruits. 

But  what  do  the  saner  minds  of  authorities 
and  the  more  sober  minds  of  parents  find  in  this 
game  to  warrant  its  continuation? 

The  many  reasons  lying  behind  the  answer  to 
this  question  fall  into  two  natural  classes;  first, 
the  advantages  which  are  peculiar  to  this  sport, 
and  second,  the  steady  progress  which  has  been 
made  in  recent  years  toward  minimizing  the 
dangers  and  eliminating  the  evils  of  the  game. 

As  to  the  latter  too  much  cannot  be  said  of 
the  untiring  efforts  of  the  Rules  Committee. 
This  iCommittee  has  legislated  intelligently  to- 
ward a  definite  goal — ^the  elimination  from  the 
field  of  play  of  tactics  and  practices  which  all  too 
frequently  lead  to  serious  injuries.  This  is  seen 
in  the  limitation  put  upon  the  use  of  hands  and 
the  barring  of  pushing  and  pulling,  clipping,  pil- 

[198] 


THE  WHEREFORE  OF  FOOTBALL 

ing  on,  tripping,  hurdling,  roughing  the  kicker 
or  passer,  etc.  These  practices  often  led  in  the 
heat  of  contest  to  abuse  and  displays  of  brutality 
which  besides  producing  injuries  harmed  the  re- 
putation of  the  game. 

The  Rules  Committee  has  constantly  en- 
deavored to  put  the  game  upon  a  higher  plane  of 
sportsmanship.  In  this  effort  to  make  the  inter- 
collegiate games  more  gentlemanly  contests,  both 
coaches  and  officials  have  given  their  hearty  co- 
operation, and  it  has  become  generally  recog- 
nized that  contestants  can  make  their  supreme 
effort  without  transgressing  rules  of  gentle- 
manly conduct  and  without  necessarily  regard- 
ing their  opponents  as  contemptuous  enemies. 

At  the  same  time,  as  we  have  seen,  there  has 
been  a  tremendous  improvement  in  the  medical 
and  physical  handling  of  the  players.  The  vital 
necessity  of  always  having  at  hand  a  competent 
medical  advisor  has  been  recognized.  With  it 
has  come  a  revolution  in  the  attitude  of  the 
coaches  toward  making  substitutions  with  a  view 
to  preventing  minor  injuries  from  becoming 
major  and  avoiding  the  serious  injuries  which 
may  result  from  playing  an  individual  to  a  state 
of  absolute  physical  exhaustion.     Foolish  ideas 

[199] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

and  traditions  of  coaches  and  players  as  to  the 
disgrace  of  being  removed  from  the  game  have 
given  away  to  the  simple  and  sane  decision  of  a 
doctor  whose  sole  interest  is  to  prevent  serious 
injury. 

So  much  for  the  reduction  of  the  chief  causes 
of  criticism  and  complaint. 

What  then  are  the  advantages,  mental,  physi- 
cal, and  moral,  which  overcome  objections 
arising  from  the  possibility  of  serious  injury? 

First,  it  must  be  remembered  that  football  is 
almost  exclusively  an  interscholastic  and  inter- 
collegiate sport.  The  men  who  best  know  and 
teach  football  are  college  men,  and  for  this  rea- 
son are  far  better  educated  than  the  average 
coach  in  other  sports.  In  most  cases  they  are 
also  business  or  professional  men,  and  quite  fre- 
quently members  of  the  faculty  of  a  school  or 
college. 

Furthermore,  the  character  of  the  game  itself 
requires  that  the  instructor  possess  more  than 
average  intellectuality.  When  analyzed,  foot- 
ball is  nothing  more  than  a  somewhat  complicated 
game  of  human  chess.  It  is  a  contest  of  science 
requiring  not  only  a  ready  familiarity  with  the 
mathematical  principles  involved,  but  an  ability 

[200] 


THE  WHEREFORE  OF  FOOTBALL 

at  the  same  time  to  execute  physically  the  neces- 
sary manoeuvres  when  the  players  are  under  the 
greatest  possible  tension  and  pressure. 

Thus  the  individual  must  be  taught  to  think 
as  well  as  to  act,  and  to  do  both  at  high  speed, 
with  a  consciousness  that  full  responsibility  for 
thinking  incorrectly  and  performing  imperfectly 
is  placed  upon  him  by  thousands  of  spectators. 
Not  only  this,  but  he  must  be  taught  to  repeat 
this  operation  time  after  time  when  his  mind  is 
groggy,  his  body  weary  and  his  whole  being  in 
revolt.     His  will-power  must  dominate  him. 

One  man  lacks  the  mental  calibre,  another  the 
physical  power  or  speed,  another  having  both  is 
unable  to  co-ordinate  the  two,  still  another  fails 
under  the  nervous  tension.  Few  realize  how 
many  men  are  deficient  in  the  power  to  "carry 
on"  when  physical  exhaustion  sets  in,  or,  to  use 
a  homely  but  apt  expression,  how  many  are  lack- 
ing in  "guts."  It  is  the  problem  of  the  coach 
to  overcome  these  failings.  Upon  his  ability  to 
do  so  depends  his  success.  It  is  therefore  small 
wonder  that  the  successful  coach  must  himself 
have  a  good  intellect,  a  strong  personality  and  a 
thorough  understanding  of  himian  nature. 
Constant  association  with  such  a  man  cainndt  fail 

[201] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

to  be  beneficial  to  the  average  undergraduate. 

From  an  educational  standpoint  alone,  the 
training  received  during  the  football  season  is 
more  valuable  than  many  of  the  college  courses. 
The  mental  gymnastics  of  mathematical  courses 
give  a  certain  amount  of  brain  development 
which  is  lacking  in  the  more  general  informative 
courses.  Football  develops  a  man  in  the  same 
way  only  more  so,  because  the  interest  of  the 
pupil  is  intensive  and  his  absorption  in  the  sub- 
ject more  complete.  Furthermore,  he  faces  a 
daily  examination  on  the  field  of  play,  an  ex- 
amination unlimited  in  scope  and  never  ending 
in  its  variety.  Unless  the  player's  mental  lesson 
is  perfect  his  individual  physical  prowess  wastes 
itself  in  faulty  application.  Because  of  this  the 
coach  detects  promptly  and  accurately  the  faults 
in  his  own  instruction,  and  learns  early  the  ne- 
cessity of  making  his  instruction  simple  and  di- 
rect, eliminating  the  unessential  and  presenting 
the  subject  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it  clear 
even  to  the  more  stupid  members  of  his  squad. 
The  successful  coach  is  generally  a  skillful 
teacher,  and  this  fact,  combined  with  the  absorb- 
ing interest  of  his  subject,  permits  him  to  com- 
mand the  attention  of  the  student  in  such  a  way 

[202] 


THE  WHEREFORE  OF  FOOTBALL 

as  to  arouse  the  envy  of  many  a  professor  who 
has  observed  the  same  student  a  few  hours  earher 
stupidly  drowsing  through  a  lecture. 

The  men  are  taught  by  talks  and  blackboard 
demonstrations,  and  then  are  required  to  go 
through  field  demonstrations  at  slow  speed,  so 
that  each  one  will  get  an  actual  visualization  as 
well  as  theory  of  each  maneuver  before  he 
is  required  to  employ  his  full  energy  in  the 
finished  performance. 

It  is  only  in  the  more  vital  contests  that  the 
degree  of  intelligence  required  is  fully  appreci- 
ated, and  then  only  by  those  who  understand 
the  fundamental  reasons  behind  the  sudden 
change  in  the  complexion  of  a  game.  In  such 
critical  contests  each  offensive  play  requires, 
first,  the  discovery  or  creation  of  a  point  of  weak- 
ness in  the  opposing  defense,  and,  second,  the 
intelligent  selection  of  the  play  which  will  best 
take  advantage  of  that  weakness.  Each  defen- 
sive play  consists  of  the  proper  deployment  of  the 
defensive  men  to  meet  the  offensive  formation 
and  then  the  quick  and  accurate  diagnosis  of  the 
play  once  it  is  imderway,  to  determine  the  nature 
and  point  of  attack  in  order  to  meet  it  success- 
fully.    In  either  case  the  failure  of  any  one  of  the 

[203] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

eleven  individuals  in  any  single  play  may  mean 
the  difference  betwen  success  and  defeat. 

This  is  one  of  the  many  reasons  why  those 
participating  in  the  game  must  be  willing  to  sub- 
mit to  the  most  rigid  discipline.  Only  by  such 
discipline  can  errors  be  minimized  if  not  elimin- 
ated. Only  by  such  disciphne  can  each  man's 
full  attention  and  physical  energy  be  confined  to 
the  particular  duty  assigned  to  him  for  the  ac- 
complishment of  an  ultimate  result.  Every 
man  cannot  run  with  the  ball,  nor  can  every  man 
be  allowed  his  own  discretion  in  choosing  the 
particular  territory  he  prefers  to  defend.  It  is 
a  game  of  individual  sacrifice  for  the  general 
good  of  the  team — the  submission  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  directing  player  with  an  ever  pres- 
ent realization  that  success  is  dependent  upon 
the  perfect  performance  of  each  individual. 

This  necessity  for  concerted  action  teaches  the 
individual  that  accomplishment  requires  organ- 
ization and  response  to  intelligent  leadership. 
This  is  the  lesson  of  team  efficiency  as  opposed 
to  disjointed  individual  effort,  no  matter  how 
brilliant.  Few  people  realize  that  it  takes  more 
than  a  few  so-called  stars  to  make  a  good  foot- 
ball team.     On  the  other  band  many  great  f oot- 

[204] 


THE  WHEREFORE  OF  FOOTBALL 

ball  teams  have  made  stars  of  mediocre  indi- 
viduals. 

There  is  still  another  form  of  disciphne  which 
is  of  equal  if  not  greater  value  to  the  student  of 
football.  It  is  the  intensive  discipline  of  the 
individual  over  himself.  First,  he  must  learn 
the  comparatively  simple  rule  of  self-control. 
Displays  of  tem^per,  no  matter  how  provoking 
the  occasion,  do  no  good  and  generally  greatly 
interfere  with  the  thinking  processes  of  the  an- 
gered individual.  Second,  he  must  learn  that 
few,  if  any,  men  ever  reach  the  limit  of  their 
development.  Most  men  do  not  begin  to  know 
themselves,  their  capacity  to  stand  physical  fa- 
tigue and  their  power  to  absorb  bodily  punish- 
ment. Many  so-called  "quitters"  are  men  who 
have  never  been  properly  taught  to  make  use  of 
the  possibilities  within  themselves.  These  men 
have  permitted  the  natural  repulsion  of  the  body 
to  punishment  to  create  an  atmosphere  of  fear. 
They  think  only  of  the  relief  which  comes  from 
desisting.  By  a  process  of  education  such  an 
individual  can  be  taught  to  master  this  fear  by 
the  gradual  realization  that  exhaustion  and  pain 
are  but  temporary,  and  that  recovery  therefrom 

[205] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

is  astoundingly  rapid.  Following  this  discovery 
tlie  individual  soon  begins  to  discipline  himself 
by  the  exercise  of  his  will  to  bring  out  latent 
power.  He  learns  that  his  body,  properly  cared 
for,  is  something  to  command  rather  than  to 
yield  to ;  and  soon  he  is  able  to  measure  properly 
and  expend  intelligently  his  full  natural  physical 
resources. 

The  player  becomes  introspective;  then  he  be- 
gins to  see  also  within  others — his  own  team- 
mates and  his  opponents.  He  learns  to  appraise 
others,  to  appreciate  their  weakness  and  their 
strength.  In  short,  he  has  made  a  great  stride 
in  the  understanding  of  human  nature. 

The  game  contains  many  other  valuable  expe- 
riences for  the  individual.  He  learns  the  ne- 
cessity of  hard,  untiring  effort  to  secure  skill 
and  perfection  of  performance.  He  gains  the 
confidence  to  assume  full  responsibilities,  and  the 
ability  to  work  unaffected  in  the  presence  of 
large  audiences.  The  intelligent  player  soon 
learns  to  take  victory  modestly,  to  accept  defeat 
gracefully,  and  to  analyze  these  victories  and  de- 
feats for  the  ascertainment  of  the  real  underly- 
ing causes.     In  short  the  game  provides  un- 

[206] 


THE  WHEREFORE  OF  FOOTBALL 

limited  opportunity  for  self  development,  not 
only  along  physical  lines,  but  also  in  creating 
powers  of  imagination  and  resourcefulness. 

Furthermore,  there  are  certain  team  attributes 
that  are  peculiarly  emphasized  in  this  sport. 
Football  is  essentially  a  game  of  team  evolutions 
and  team  accomplishments.  In  no  other  sport 
is  it  so  fundamentally  essential  to  develop  in  a 
team  a  spirit  of  brotherly  love  and  loyalty,  and 
to  gather  the  players  together  by  a  bond  of  sym- 
pathy which  will  enable  them  to  respond  readily 
and  unitedly  to  the  pyschology  of  the  occasion. 

More  recently  the  increasing  interest  in  the 
game  has  aroused  the  criticism  that  important  in- 
ter-collegiate contests  have  become  great  "public 
spectacles,"  with  an  intimation  that  they  are  not 
altogether  healthy  for  the  college  or  for  the 
public.  It  is  difficult  to  formulate  any  definite 
reply  because  of  the  somewhat  intangible  nature 
of  the  criticism. 

Those  who  attend  these  week-end  ^'spectacles" 
are  undergraduates,  graduates,  and  the  public  at 
large.  The  undergraduate  generally  acts  as 
escort  to  parents,  friends,  or  girl  acquaintances ; 
and  after  the  game  spends  the  evening  in  some 
healthy  form  of  entertainment.     That  under- 

[207] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

graduate  who  has  spent  the  afternoon  out  of 
doors,  feeling  abnost  as  keenly  as  the  players 
themselves  the  pangs  of  defeat  or  the  joys  of 
victory,  and  has  spent  the  evening  in  the  com- 
panionship of  his  friends  or  relatives,  is  far  bet- 
ter off  than  the  undergraduate  who,  on  Satur- 
days when  there  is  no  game  to  hold  him,  starts 
out  in  search  of  some  sort  of  amusement  which 
may  be  much  less  wholesome. 

Again,  on  what  other  occasion  do  hearts  beat 
in  such  unison  and  such  common  impulses  move 
the  crowd?  What  is  more  effective  to  quicken  in 
the  veins  of  the  undergraduate  a  deep  and  last- 
ing loyalty  to  his  Alma  Mater  and  to  develop  a 
spirit  of  kinship  among  men  who,  in  the  class- 
room, have  gazed  at  each  other  almost  as 
strangers?  In  other  words,  the  game  of  football 
is  itself  an  institution,  molding  what  is  spoken 
of  in  American  universities  as  "college  spirit." 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  point  out  what  the 
game  means  to  the  graduate,  whether  he  is  able 
to  attend  in  person  or  learn  of  its  results  by  tele- 
graphic or  newspaper  reports. 

Is  there  any  graduate  who  does  not  hear  with  a 
thrill  of  pride  of  the  achievements  of  his  uni- 
versity team?    To  see  the  team  play  and  to  talk 

[208] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

about  the  team  and  the  players  makes  a  gradu- 
ate young  again,  and  furnishes  a  relaxation  to 
his  tired  mind  and  a  stimulation  to  his  discour- 
aged soul  that  sends  him  back  to  his  work  a  bet- 
ter and  a  stronger  man. 

There  is  nothing  which  brings  the  thoughts 
of  the  average  graduate  back  to  his  college  and 
keeps  him  in  touch  with  his  Alma  Mater  quite 
so  much  as  the  football  season.  It  is  hard  to 
believe  that  this  participation  in  the  "public 
spectacle"  prevents  a  man  from  following  with 
keen  interest  the  educational  progress  and  the 
scientific  achievements  of  his  college.  If  they 
are  obscured  to  any  degree  it  is  only  because  the 
newspaper  notoriety  given  to  the  game  for  the 
moment  has  been  perhaps  disproportionate. 

As  for  the  public  at  large,  is  it  possible  that 
their  attendance  at  the  game  or  their  reading  of 
the  results  in  the  daily  newspapers  is  productive 
of  some  baneful  influence?  On  the  contrary  it 
would  seem  that  what  is  good  for  the  undergrad- 
uate or  the  graduate  must  also  be  good  for 
the  public,  because  after  all  the  only  difference 
is  one  of  fortune  and  not  of  breed.  Certainly 
no  greater  opportunity  presents  itself  for  the 

[209] 


THE  WHEREFORE  OF  FOOTBALL 

wholesale  teaching  of  good  sportsmanship  and  of 
gentlemanly  conduct. 

In  this  connection  we  may  refer  again  to  organ- 
ized cheering.  This  queer  collegiate  form  of  ex- 
pression at  one  time  threatened  to  outgrow  its 
usefulness.  The  imaginative  and  resourceful 
undergraduate  developed  it  almost  to  the  point 
of  abuse.  A  movement  for  its  abolition  re- 
sulted. But  clearer  minds  discerned  its  possibil- 
ities and  guided  its  course  into  sounder  channels 
until  it  is  now  recognized  as  a  most  effective 
means  of  stimulating  good  sportsmanship. 
Through  organized  cheering  new  ideals  have  been 
conveyed  to  the  spectator,  such  as  the  impropriety 
of  applauding  when  an  opponent  is  penalized  or 
a  player  injured,  or  of  attempting  to  confuse  the 
players  or  prevent  them  from  giving  or  hearing 
their  signals.  In  short,  in  spite  of  the  tremen- 
dous enthusiasm  and  partisanship  of  a  football 
audience,  that  same  crowd,  perhaps  ninety  thou- 
sand in  all,  has  come  to  typify  all  that  is  best  and 
most  sportsmanlike  in  American  athletic  gather- 
ings. 

In  conclusion,  football  is  inherently  an  Ameri- 
can game  and  essentially  a  college  game.     In  it 

[210] 


FOOTBALL  AND  HOW  TO  WATCH  IT 

we  find  most  of  the  red-blooded  ideals  which  we 
are  proud  to  believe  are  particularly  American. 
If  by  reason  of  the  strenuosity  of  the  game,  evils 
now  and  then  crop  out,  let  us  patiently  trust  that 
they  will  soon  be  ironed  away;  and  if  by  reason 
of  the  intense  enthusiasm  of  the  spectators  the 
game  assumes  a  position  of  exaggerated  impor- 
tance, let  us  rest  assured  that  under  intelligent 
guidance  sooner  or  later  it  will  reach  its  proper 
level.  But  in  the  meantime,  let  us  not  in  a 
criticism  of  the  superficialities  of  the  game  over- 
look those  things  which  make  it  so  distinctly 
worth  while. 


[211] 


\^' 


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